Charmed 1. Chapter 1

Legacy 101: Endings and Beginnings

Xxx

Author's Note:

This is the first chapter in my Legacy series, focusing on the next generation of Halliwells. It takes place in the same continuity as my pervious stories. If you have not read my previous stories, I suggest reading "The Once and Future Evil" and "Four Witches and a Funeral" first, as these stories explain how Wyatt lost his Twice-Blessed powers and how Piper died.

Xxx

Early in the evening, in a small and crowded Italian restaurant, several couples and groups were enjoying their dinner in the candlelight. The restaurant was designed like a small bistro, with small tables close to each other. A waiter tried to creep past a table with a trey of drinks and nearly drops a few glasses. He quickly corrected himself, though he got an angry look from his manager. Meanwhile a young couple at a table in the corner is having a heated discussion.

Among all of this, a demon shimmered into the middle of the restaurant, though nobody noticed him. Someone getting up to go to the bathroom even passes right through him. The demon had a youthful appearance, with short brown hair, dark eyes and strong eyebrows. The demon noticed the couple in the back and walked over to them. He raised his hand and a red glow appeared. He then pointed his hand at the couple and a ball of shadows flew at them, entering their bodies. Immediately, their discussion heated up.

"I can't believe you got fired!" The woman said. "How can you do this to me?"

"Are you kidding me?" the man yelled. "I always paid everything for you."

"Well, don't expect me to stay around when you're broke!" the woman yelled back.

"You ungrateful bitch!" The man yelled and he got up. "Fine, get lost. You know why I was fired? Because I was caught screwing my secretary on my desk!"

"You bastard!" The woman screamed and stood up, throwing her glass at him. She then walked away and knocked into the waiter, who dropped the glasses he was carrying.

"You idiot!" The manager yelled. "How many times do I have to warn you?"

The demon smiled and threw a ball of shadows at the waiter, which entered his body. The waiter straightened up and his face turned to rage. He picked up a plate from a table and threw it at his manager.

"I have had it. I don't get paid enough for you to insult me every single time." The waiter yelled. "I quit!"

The waiter stormed off and knocked over a table, landing a plate of spaghetti on a man's pants. The man jumped up and grabbed the waiter by his arm. The demon infected him with a shadow ball as well as the man suddenly reached for the waiter's throat. Meanwhile, the cheating husband had grabbed his wife's arm. The manager ordered a waitress to call the police and panic started to erupt within the restaurant. The demon smiled in glory and started infecting everyone with his shadow balls, creating more strife and chaos.

A few moments later the smug and satisfied demon stepped out of the restaurant and screams came from inside. He walked down the street, when suddenly flames appeared before him. From the flames a cloaked demon stepped forward.

"Hello Darius." The cloaked demon said.

"Who are you? how can you see me?" Darius asked.

"Who I am is not important." The demon said. "I know who you are, though. A Spirit of Rage. Your kind is becoming increasingly hard to find."

"What do you want?" Darius asked.

"I require your services." The cloaked demon said. "I want to hire you."

"What's in it for me?" Darius asked.

"You want to spend the rest of your eternal life causing little fights between mortals?" the cloaked demon asked. "I can promise you much more, when I get what I want."

"And what is it you want exactly?" Darius asked.

"I want to destroy the Halliwell line of witches, and I want their Book of Shadows." The cloaked demon said.

"Are you insane? I'm not going up against the Charmed Ones."Darius said.

"But the Charmed Ones are no more. With the eldest dead, the power of three is broken." The cloaked demon said.

"But their linage is powerful, even without the Charmed Ones or the Twice-Blessed, they are still powerful witches." Darius said.

"You don't have to face them directly." The cloaked demon said. "All I need you to do is infect them with rage. Then they will weaken themselves and the Book of Shadows. Once I have the book, I will grant you all the power you desire."

"Who are you?" Darius asked again.

"Let's just say I'm an old friend, looking to get my vengeance." The cloaked demon said.

The cloaked demon held out his hand for Darius, who hesitated. Facing the Halliwell's was like a suicide attempt, but he was getting bored with these stupid mortal quarrels. He took the demon's hand and shook it, sealing their deal. He would infect the witches with enough rage that they would destroy themselves.

Xxx

The following morning, forty-five year old Phoebe Halliwell sat in a large chair in the middle of a studio, belonging to the biggest talk show of the west coast. Her professional make-up made her seem years younger, although she still considered herself good-looking for her age. In her lap she held a copy of her third book "Cupid's Arrow". In the chair across her sat the host of the show, Kathy, a blond woman who had a little too much plastic surgery done. Meanwhile all the cameras were pointed at them.

"Good day and welcome back." Kathy said at the camera. "We are here today with famous advice columnist and author Phoebe Halliwell, who is currently promoting her third book, Cupid's Arrow. Welcome Phoebe."

"Thank you, Kathy." Phoebe said with smile.

"Tell me, with an advice column and three daughters, how did you find time to write your third book already?" Kathy asked.

"Well Kathy, I think I am just blessed with a wonderful and supportive family." Phoebe said. "My husband and daughters are a constant source of inspiration."

"Speaking about your husband." Kathy said. "I just saw him backstage and he is gorgeous. Where on earth did you find him?"

"Oh, he was just a gift from Heaven." Phoebe said jokingly.

"Well, you are certainly lucky." Kathy said. "Let's get back to your book. After 'Finding Love' and Marriage and Babies', do you think your third book will be a bestseller as well?"

"Oh, I can only hope." Phoebe said. "But as long as my readers still believe in the message I bring, I don't really care about the numbers."

"So is it true you are planning a nationwide promotion tour, starting in New York?" Kathy asked.

"What? Where did you hear that?" Phoebe asked shocked.

She had indeed been offered a tour by her publicist, though she had only discussed it with Coop. Now her daughters and the rest of the family would hear about it on life television.

"We have our sources." Kathy said. "Was it a secret? Were you planning to do a secret tour?"

"No of course not." Phoebe said with a smile. "I just hadn't had the time to discuss it with my family yet. So, surprise!"

"Well Phoebe, it was lovely talking to you." Kathy said. "But I am afraid our time is already up. Our last segment ran a little long, so we'll hope you'll be back after the tour."

"I would love to." Phoebe said.

Kathy then went on to say goodbye to her viewers, while Phoebe tried to think of a way to explain this to her girls. When the lights were cut, she quickly said goodbye to Kathy and left the stage. Meanwhile Coop was waiting for her backstage.

"I warned you we should have informed the girls." Coop said.

"I know, I know." Phoebe said in an annoyed tone. "You need to help me fix this. How do I tell the girls I am leaving them for a half year to tour the country?"

"Well, doing it on live television probably wasn't the best move." Coop said.

"I'll just have to explain tonight, at Piper's memorial dinner." Phoebe said. "As if this night wasn't going to be hard enough. Can you beam me home?"

Coop took her hand and dragged her into a dressing room, where they beamed home in a heart-shaped flash of light.

Xxx

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Phoebe's oldest daughter Prue Halliwell made her way down the street in a hurry. The beautiful dark eyed brunette had overslept on possibly the most important day of her life. When she finally reached her destination, she ran up the stairs and snapped her heels on the steps.

"Are you kidding me?" Prue cried as she took her shoes off and continued barefoot into the Bay Mirror building, the newspaper her mother worked for.

After taking the elevator, Prue found herself on the floor she needed to be at. The twenty-two year old ran over to the receptionist and dropped her shoes on the counter.

"Hi, I am here for the job interview." Prue said.

"You're a little late." The receptionist said.

"I know, I had a little accident." Prue said as she help up her broken shoes.

"I see." The receptionist said in a monotone voice. "Your name?"

"Prue Cooper." Prue lied. She decided to use a fake name to get the job, since she didn't want her mother's popularity to influence their decision. She was a recently graduated and skilled journalist, and she wanted to prove it on her own.

"You may sit down and someone will be with you shortly." The receptionist said.

Prue said down and waited impatiently. She then noticed a TV in the corner and saw her mother on screen. She had completely forgotten about the interview, since she was too involved with her own stuff. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear what was being said as the volume was too low.

"Ms. Cooper?" A male voice asked.

Prue turned around and saw a man with glasses standing in front of her. He wore a stuffy suit had a cranky look. As she shook his hand, she got a distinct feeling of distain toward her through her empathic powers. For some reason, this man already disliked her. He introduced himself as Mr. Sheldon.

"Follow me." Mr. Sheldon said.

Prue followed him into his office and sat down in front of the desk opposed to him. He picked up her resume and studied it for a few moments without saying anything.

"So miss Halliwell, you want a job here?" Mr. Sheldon asked.

"Excuse me?" Prue asked upon hearing her real name being used.

"You can't fool me, miss Halliwell." Mr. Sheldon said. "I know your mother."

"Yes, of course." Prue said. "But I chose not to use my name because my mother works here. I wanted a fair chance."

"Of course you did." Mr. Sheldon said skeptical. "So why did you choose this paper then?"

"Well, because the Bay Mirror is the best-read newspaper in San Francisco. Plus I live in the Bay area, so other paper wouldn't make sense."

"Let me be frank, miss Halliwell." Mr. Sheldon said. "I dislike your mother. She is a troublesome employee often running out for these so-called 'family emergencies.' I also don't like people who try to benefit from their parents over other hardworking people."

Prue was shocked and didn't know how to respond. This man clearly had something against her mother and against her and definitely wasn't planning on hiring her. It made her angry.

"Sorry, but you don't know anything about me." Prue said sharply. "I graduated top of my classes, I had a summer internship for a respected newspaper in LA and my resume is spotless. You're not even considering me because of my last name."

"And now you're raising your voice at me during a job interview." Mr. Sheldon said. "You clearly are your mother's daughter. I am sorry, miss Halliwell, but there is nothing I can do for you."

"I see. Thank you for your time." Prue said while trying to control herself. "I'll let myself out."

Prue got up and walked away, slamming the door shut behind her. The receptionist gave her an annoyed look, but she didn't care. This day sucked and she wondered if it could get any worse.

Xxx

In a dark college dorm room, twenty year old Penny Halliwell woke up with a screaming headache. She sat up and looked around, wondering where she was. She then realized she was only half dressed. As she brunette searched for the rest of her clothes, she suddenly felt another person in the bed next to her, a very naked other person. Penny reluctantly looked down and noticed the very naked, and actually kind of cute, guy next to her still asleep. Unfortunately she had no idea who he was. She tried to remember last night, but could only remember flashes of a party and a lot of alcohol.

Penny got up, dragging the sheets with her as she searched for her clothes. Why did she keep doing this? Everyone always told her she was irresponsible and she had proven them right once again. She was never drinking again. After getting all her clothes, Penny sat down and the bed and got dressed. She then tosses the sheet over the naked guy to cover him up.

Curiously, she placed her finger on his head and tried to read his mind with her telepathy for more memories or at least a name. However, his drunken thoughts only added to her own hangover.

Suddenly Penny's phone rang and she guy stirred in his sleep. Penny quickly answered the phone.

"Hello?" Penny asked. "Prue, why I'm whispering? Long story. Brunch? Sure, as long as there is a lot of coffee."

Penny hung up and quickly left the dorm room, taking one last look at the guy in bed. She still couldn't remember his name. They'd eventually run into each other again, and it was already awkward. She quickly left to meet her sister for brunch.

Xxx

At the same time, the Halliwell brothers Wyatt and Chris orbed into an Underworld cavern. Both were dressed in dirty clothes, as if they had been hunting and fighting demons all night. Wyatt, the blonder of the two, looked around, while his younger brother Chris checked some sort of map.

"Are you sure they are around here?" Wyatt asked.

"Yeah, map we got from that other nest suggests the last nest in here." Chris replied.

"What do you mean suggests? Aren't you sure?" Wyatt asked.

"Reading demonic language is hard Wyatt." Chris said annoyed. "Not that you ever tried."

"Sorry, I'm tired." Wyatt said. "You said taking out these Scavenger Demon nests would only take a few hours. We've been at it all night."

"Yeah, I thought so." Chris said. "We're lucky we found the others had this map though, otherwise we would have missed a few nests."

"Why would Scavenger Demons create maps?" Wyatt asked. "I didn't even know they could read."

"They feed off the remains of others." Chris said. "Each nest probably has their own territory. And why wouldn't they be able to read?"

"Because they're creepy, and slimy." Wyatt replied.

Suddenly a stream of green goo shot down from the ceiling and wrapped around Wyatt's legs, dragging him up and hanging him upside down from the ceiling. Another stream was fired at Chris, though he avoided it in time by orbing out and reappearing on the other side of the cave. Three Scavenger demons jumped down from the ceiling, reptile like demons with black skin, covering in green ectoplasm.

"A little help?" Wyatt asked.

"A little busy here." Chris said as he flung his arm and telekinetically tossed the demons across the room.

"Are you kidding me?" Wyatt called out as he looked around.

Wyatt noticed a sharp rock lying on the floor and telekinetically orbed it to his hand. He then started cutting at the ectoplasm string. Meanwhile Chris reached for a potion and vanquished the first demon, causing the other two to disappear in the shadows of the ceiling. Suddenly, the demons started pulling Wyatt up into the shadows.

"Chris!" Wyatt called, trying to contain his panic. "These things are going to eat me."

Chris ran over and jumped up, grabbing Wyatt's arms and trying to drag him down. However, the demons proved to be too strong and pulled them both up.

"Wyatt, create a force field to sever the web!" Chris yelled.

"Oh right." Wyatt said.

Wyatt concentrated and generated a protective blue bubble around him and his brother. As the field hit the ectoplasm, it severed, causing both brothers to fall to the ground and shattering the field. The demons angrily screamed and fired two more webs, though Wyatt quickly raised a force field again. The demons jumped down on both sides of the brothers, ready to attack. Chris used his telekinesis to throw one against a wall, while Wyatt telekinetically orbed a rock against the other. Chris then threw a potion at his demon, vanquishing him.

"Still got the potion?" Wyatt asked.

"Just one, hold in." Chris said as he reached into his pocket.

Meanwhile the Scavenger Demon screamed and jumped on Wyatt, pinning him to the ground.

"You will pay for killing my kind." It whispered in a slithering tone as it raised a claw.

"Wyatt, I got the potion." Chris said.

"Throw it." Wyatt yelled.

"But…" Chris started to say.

"Just throw it!" Wyatt yelled louder.

Chris then raised his arm and threw the potion, which hit the demon in the chest just as it was about to slash at Wyatt. The demon screamed and exploded in green ectoplasm, completely covering Wyatt in green goo. Wyatt got up and glared at his brother as he wiped the goo from his face.

"I tried to warn you." Chris said.

"Don't even start." Wyatt said annoyed. "Let's just find the nest and destroy it, and don't speak a word about this."

Wyatt walked away, leaving Chris standing in the middle of the cave. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Wyatt always seemed to attract the more messy vanquishes. As he followed his older brother, Chris yawned, a night of demon fighting sure tired a guy out. He had almost forgotten what day it was today. Two years ago, exactly on this day, his mother was killed by a warlock, something he would never be able to forget.

xxx


	2. Chapter 2

Legacy 101: Endings and Beginnings, part 2

Xxx

Paige Matthews woke up with a content feeling. It had been ages since she had been able to sleep in late. She stretched and reached out of her husband Henry, but he was nowhere to be found. She looked up and found a note, saying he had to go to an important meeting at work. That was weird, Henry never had meetings. As she got up, Paige wondered what he meeting could be about, hopefully it was a big promotion with an even bigger paycheck. Now that the girls were heading off to college, they definitely needed the money. Paige put on a robe and went downstairs, it was a warm august morning and the sun was shining in through the window.

Paige made herself some coffee and cleaned up the dirty dishes Henry Jr. had left on the counter this morning when he left for school. The twins were probably still asleep. As she made breakfast, she discovered the milk was gone. She realized how completely boring her life had become if that was the biggest concern of the day. Maybe she needed something new now that the twins were leaving the house. She then noticed the calendar and noticed that tonight was the dinner party at Les Trois.

Suddenly Paige heard the front door slam shut. Knowing her husband always slammed the doors, she wasn't surprised when Henry came in the kitchen.

"Hi honey." Paige said chipper. "You're home really early. I thought you had a meeting?"

"I did." Henry said. "And I've got some major news."

"What do you mean?" Paige asked.

"You better sit down." Henry said.

"Oh my god, is it bad news?" Paige asked.

"No, no, no, not really." Henry quickly said. "At least I think not. I don't really know."

"You're rambling a bit, that's usually my job." Paige said.

"Remember how I told you a few weeks ago how much of a mess the Parole department is in LA?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, there was this chief that was redirecting funds into his personal account, right?" Paige asked, vaguely remembering the conversation.

"Yeah, well, he went to jail, and a couple of others were involved as well." Henry said. "So the department there is a complete mess."

"So that's why you had a meeting?" Paige asked.

"Yes. The LA department asked for our help to turn things around up there." Henry said.

"So what is the news?" Paige asked.

"The news is." Henry said as he sat down at the counter. "They offered me a job there. And not just any job, they want me to run the department."

"What?" Paige asked. "What do you mean?"

"My boss suggested it." Henry explained. "He thought I was the best man for the job. Plus he knew the girls were heading off to college and I'll make a lot more then I do now."

"So let me get this straight." Paige said as she raised her hands. "You want us to move to LA?"

"Only if you support the decision." Henry said. "I thought about it on the way back home, and you'll be able to orb here whenever you want, right? It doesn't matter if we life in the same neighborhood as your family or across the country. You can always be there in a second."

"But what about the kids?" Paige asked.

"Well, the girls are heading to college anyway." Henry said.

"And what about Junior?" Paige asked. "He still has two more years of high school, all his friends are here and he will never agree to this. He inherited both our stubbornness."

"Paige, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for me." Henry said. "My own department."

"I don't know, Henry. I have to think about this." Paige said.

"Of course." Henry said. "We'll discuss it tonight at dinner with the kinds."

"We can't." Paige said. "We have Piper's memorial dinner at Les Trois."

"I didn't realize that was going to be an annual thing." Henry said.

"Henry, she's my sister. I think it's a good thing we take one night out the year to remember her." Paige said slightly annoyed.

"Of course, I just hadn't thought about it, I'm sorry." Henry said. "I think I'll go back to work, check on some of my parolees, do some paperwork. It will give us both time to think about this."

"Okay, see you tonight." Paige said.

She gave Henry a kiss and he left. As soon as the door slammed shut, she sighed, wondering what to do. She understood it was a great chance for Henry, and moving to a new city sounded excited, especially since it was LA. But they had the kids to consider. Junior went to school here and the twins still needed a home to fall back on just in case. Plus Phoebe was here, and Leo. She didn't want to leave her family behind. She needed to talk to someone. She picked up the phone to call Phoebe, but then realized she had that interview. She would just have to wait until tonight.

Paige went upstairs to take a shower and quickly checked the rooms of the twins. She thought they were still asleep, but apparently, they were already gone.

Xxx

Nineteen year old identical twin sisters Laura and Grace walked down the street, heading for their favorite coffee place to meet their cousins. As always, Laura, the oldest had her dark blonde hair straight and was dressed in a casual pretty way. Her younger sister Laura had a slight wave in her hair and wore a more modern and stylish outfit with a short skirt. Ever since they were born, the sisters had been completely inseparable, despite being as different as night and day. When they arrived at the coffee place, they found Penny sitting outside wearing huge shades and looking terrible. These brunches had become a tradition between the four over the summer .

"Long night?" Grace asked as she sat down.

"Definitely, don't talk so loud." Penny replied with a cringe.

"Why didn't you call me? I'm always in the mood for a party with cute boys." Grace asked.

"Sorry, next time I will." Penny replied.

"Don't you have classes today?" Laura asked.

"Probably." Penny said waving it off. "What about you? When are you two getting started? Its freshman week and I haven't seen you around."

"Well." Laura said as she exchanged looks with Grace. "We actually have a pretty big announcement."

"Really? What is it?" Penny asked.

"I think we should wait until Prue gets here to tell you." Grace said.

"Tell us what?" Prue's voice sounded from behind them.

The girls turned around and noticed Prue coming over, holding a broken pair of heels in her hand and not looking very happy. Meanwhile a cute waiter noticed Prue arriving and came over.

"What happened to your shoes?" Grace called out as if it were the worst thing in the world.

"Long story." Prue said.

"Ladies, can I get you anything?" the waiter asked.

Everyone gave the waiter their orders and he wrote them down. Meanwhile Grace tried flirting with him a little, though he didn't really seem to notice. When the waiter left, everyone turned their attention back to Prue.

"So what happened?" Penny asked. "You had that job interview right?"

"Well, apparently the guy in charge of personnel isn't a big fan of mom." Prue said. "I used a fake name on the application, but he recognized me and refused to give me the job."

"Are you kidding me?" Grace called out. "That is so unfair."

"I don't even think it's legal." Laura added.

"I don't know. Either way, I didn't get the job." Prue said. "Can we just drop it and focus on something else. Weren't you about to announce something?"

"Well…" Laura said with a nervous smile. "We didn't tell anyone this, not even our parents, but we never actually planned on going to college here. We kind of applied somewhere else, but since the chances were so slim, we decided to keep it a secret."

"Which was really hard, by the way." Grace added. "I cannot keep a secret like this."

"Oh, we know." Penny said sarcastically.

"Anyway." Laura continued. "We both applied to the same college, only different courses of course. I wanted to study cultural history, while Grace wanted to go to an art school. Luckily we found a perfect school that has both and it's absolutely perfect."

"It's so amazing." Grace said. "You should totally come by. We can go out and party and visited all the popular tourist spots."

"Wait, tourists?" Prue asked confused. "Where is this school?"

"That's kind of the reason we kept it a secret." Laura said. "The school is in Paris."

"Paris!" Penny called out shocked. "Paris as in France? Are you crazy? You can't go to Paris!"

"We figured everything out." Laura said. "The school had a special program for foreign students. Everything is being taken care of, we get our own living space, French lessons, everything. Plus it's one of the best schools in Europe."

"When did you decide this?" Prue asked.

"We've been planning this for quite some time." Grace said. "Everything is already taken care of, all we need to do is tell our parents and hope they're okay with it."

"Are you insane?" Penny said. "Your dad will never be okay with you moving halfway across the world."

"It's not like we'll have to take the plane every time we want to see each other." Laura said. "Half the family can orb or beam us back in a minute."

"So you've seriously decided to do this?" Prue asked.

"We did." Laura and Grace said simultaneously. They had been thinking about it for months and talked it over endlessly. Ultimately they decided that since they both wanted it, they should just go for it. They both applied and a few days ago, they had both heard they got in.

"So what do you think?" Grace added.

"I think it's great." Prue said with a smile. "I think it's great that you're following your dreams. I mean, Europe is amazing, I'm actually jealous."

"So come to Paris." Grace said. "I'm sure they could use a few good journalists there."

"Thanks, but I actually like it here." Prue said with a laugh. "I do want to come over for a shopping spree though, maybe in the spring."

"Penny?" Laura asked. "What do you think?"

"I don't know." Penny said. "I mean, of course I'm happy for you, but it's all a lot to take in. I'm sure my excitement will come later."

"Great, we knew you would support us." Laura said. "Now all we need to do now is tell our parents, and the rest of the family."

"Ha, good luck with that." Penny remarked.

Meanwhile the waiter returned with their drinks and their orders. The four cousins toasted to Paris and had their brunch. The twins were happy with the support, though both realized that telling Prue and penny was only the very first and easiest step. Like Penny said, there was no way their dad would be okay with this. He still saw them as little girls. Maybe their mother would be more supportive. She understood what it meant to pursue your dreams and independence, at least that is what they hoped for. If not, they were screwed.

Xxx

In a dark cavern in the underworld, Darius was impatiently pacing over a campfire. After what seemed like forever, the cloaked demon flamed into the cave. Darius looked at him and wondered who he was. He said he knew the Halliwell family from before, but the Charmed Ones had faced so many demons that the possibilities were endless.

"Finally." Darius said as he turned to the mysterious figure. "Why are we waiting so long?"

"Be patient." The cloaked demon said. "We make our move tonight, when the whole family is gathered."

"Isn't it better to pick them off one by one?" Darius asked.

"The witches are a family, which is what binds them." The cloaked demon said. "It is their biggest strength, but also their greatest weakness if we use it against them. Every family has their resentments and struggles. Magnified by your power, these struggles will be their downfall."

"How?" Darius asked.

"The powers of witches are tied to their emotions." The cloaked demon explained. "Their Book is shadows in linked to their powers. If we enhance their negative emotions and turn them on each other, they will weaken each other and the book."

"So when do we strike?" Darius asked.

"Tonight, as they gather for their family dinner." The cloaked demon said. "It will be an evening they will never forget."

Xxx

Twenty-one year old Melinda Halliwell opened the door to the manor while holding a bag full of groceries. With her long dark brown hair, she looked almost exactly like her mother and shared a similar personality. As she put down the bag, she looked around the hall. The manor hadn't changed in years, virtually nothing had changed after her mom had died and she had moved out. It was just her father and her brothers living here now.

"Hello?" Melinda called out. "Anyone here?"

When there was no response, Melinda picked up the groceries and brought them to the kitchen. If she didn't bring over fruit and vegetables from the restaurant, this place would never see anything healthy. The kitchen was a mess, with dirty dishes on the counter and in the sink. A few years ago, it would have been spotless. Not a single day went by that Melinda didn't miss her mother. To the day, it was two years ago when she was killed. She still sometimes woke up with nightmares.

Melinda picked up her phone and called over to Les Trois, the restaurant Piper had created, which was left in the care of her and her boyfriend Ryan when her mother died. After a few moments, her boyfriend Ryan picked up the phone.

"Hey, it's me." Melinda said. "How is everything over there?"

"Hi honey." Ryan replied. "Things are okay, we just had the lunch buzz so things are pretty quiet now."

"Have you started setting up for tonight?" Melinda asked.

"Not yet, we're still cleaning up." Ryan said. "I'll send everyone home as soon as the place in cleaned up, and then I'll set up for tonight."

"Okay, well call if you need any help." Melinda said. "I'm at the manor and the place is a mess. I think I'll be here for a while."

"Are you sure you'll be able to cook tonight?" Ryan asked. "I can ask Marty to help out."

"No, it's everyone's night off." Melinda said. "I'll get it done. I'll be there around three."

"Okay, see you then." Ryan said.

"Okay, love you." Melinda said.

"Love you too." Ryan replied as he hung up the phone.

Melinda put the phone away and sighed as she looked around the kitchen. She quickly cleaned up the groceries and a few dishes. She then wondered where everyone was and walked back to the living room. As she stood in front of the staircase, a door suddenly appeared, the door to Magic School. As the door opened, her father Leo stepped out. As always he was dressed in a black cloak. His grey hair was a mess and he looked like he hadn't shaved in weeks. He was still looking at a paper and didn't even seem to notice her.

"Dad!" Melinda said.

"Melinda, what you doing here?" Leo asked.

"Dad, when is the last time you shaved?" Melinda asked, ignoring his question.

"It wasn't that long ago." Leo said as he rubbed his short stubble beard. "Okay, so maybe I forgot a couple of times, but I've been busy."

"I think Magic School can miss you for a few minutes." Melinda said. "You did remember the dinner party tonight, don't you?"

"Oh, is that tonight?" Leo asked. "I still got a ton of paper to grade."

"Dad, its mom's memorial dinner." Melina said. "How could you forget?"

"I didn't forget, Melinda." Leo replied sadly. "I think about it every day. I miss your mother every second, I don't need a dinner to remember her by."

"Dad, are you okay?" Melinda asked concerned.

"I'm fine." Leo said as he walked down the stairs past Melinda.

"You don't look fine." Melinda said. "You're not taking care of yourself or the manor. You spent all your time locked away in Magic School. Why?"

"It's nothing." Leo said.

"It's okay, dad." Melinda said. "You can tell me."

"I miss your mother." Leo said. "I miss her every day. And every second I am in this house, I am reminded that I'm here alone."

"But Wyatt and Chris are still here." Melinda replied. "And you will always have me, and aunt Phoebe and Paige."

"It's not the same, Melinda." Leo said. "You kids are all grown-up, you moved out, Wyatt and Chris won't stay forever. We were supposed to grow old in this house together. I saw it when we went the future. Being here alone, it's like she's always close by, but never with me."

"Oh, dad." Melinda said saddened, unsure of what to say.

"Look, let's not talk about this now." Leo said. "I'll finish up work, take a shower and I will be at the dinner. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Leo went back up the stairs and entered the magical door to Magic School, which disappeared behind him. Melinda looked at the empty wall with a sad look. She wanted her father to be happy, but she knew he wasn't really. He was lonely, and not even his children could fill the void her mother had left. His work at Magic School was his second greatest passion, after his family, and was probably the only thing keeping him going. She wished there was something more she could do, but she had no idea what. Maybe being around his family tonight might help cheer him up.

xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Legacy 101: Endings and Beginnings, part 3

Xxx

Sixteen year old Payton Halliwell said goodbye to her friends as they parted ways after class. It was the middle of the afternoon and the halls of Baker High were filled with students trying to get home as quickly as possible after a long day of school. The petite brunette with long wavy hair and brown eyes walked to her locker and put away her book.

As she closed her locker, the entire football team ran passed her, cheering and shouting, immediately followed by the cheerleaders and a crowd of mindless football fans. Ever since their team had won the championships last year, the entire school was obsessed with the sport. Payton walked down the hall and looked at the trophy display at the end of the hall. Last time the team had won the championship was eight years ago. Payton looked at the victory picture and saw two very familiar faces. The first was her cousin Wyatt, who at the time was the star of the team and the second was Prue, her oldest sister, who was a cheerleader during the championship.

Unlike them, Payton was anything but popular or interested in sport. She wasn't a geek or something else either, she was just average. She had a few good friends, did her best to get good grades and just didn't really stand out in the crowd.

"Hey, cousin." A familiar voice sounded.

Payton turned around and saw her cousin Henry Jr. standing behind her. He had spiky brown hair and brown eyes and a little short for a guy his age.

"Hi." Payton replied.

"So the team is having a season kick-off party." Henry Jr. said. "Feel like coming along?"

"Since when do you like football?" Payton asked.

"I don't." Henry Jr. said shrugging. "But it's a party."

Payton sighed. She once again realized that she and her cousin were completely different. Henry Jr. was a few months older then her, just old enough to be one grade higher than her. Despite not belonging to any group or being a part of any team or club, Henry seemed to be liked by everyone in school while she was socially invisible. She always tried to get good grades, while he was a straight C student. However, despite of all of their differences, they were very good friends, probably due to being the youngest two of the family and always being stuck with each other.

"Thanks, but I'll pass." Payton said. "All the jock testosterone and cheerleader stupidity might be infectious. It already infected the entire school."

"Good point." Henry Jr. said laughing. "I'll try to contain my testosterone."

"Besides, don't forget the diner tonight." Payton said.

"Oh right." Henry Jr. said. "Still, we could stop by for a second."

"Why do you even want me to come along?" Payton asked. "Don't you have some cheerleader to make out with or something?"

"Who, Melissa?" Henry Jr. asked.

"Wait, you're seeing Melissa now?" Payton asked. "I thought you were dating Gabby."

"No, Gabby and I have been over for like a week." Henry Jr. replied. "She wanted me to meet her parents and stuff."

"Oh god, you're the worst." Payton said with an annoyed look as she started to walk away.

"Hey, wait up." Henry Jr. said as he ran after her. "Okay, first of all, I always say I'm not looking for something serious and second of all, I have never cheated on anyone."

"No, you just dump girls and move on the next one in like a second." Payton said.

"So what? It's high school. At least I'm actually seeing someone." Henry Jr. remarked. "What happened to that guy you liked? Does he still think you're invisible?"

"Shut up." Payton replied embarrassed.

"So you can judge me, but I can't judge you?" Henry Jr. asked.

"Pretty much." Payton replied.

"Whatever." Henry Jr. said. "It's getting pretty late, I think I'll skip the party and head home. If I'm late for this dinner my parents will probably kill me."

"Can you give me a ride home?" Payton asked.

"Sure, no problem." Henry Jr. replied.

The two cousins walked to the parking lot and got in the car. As they were driving home, Payton turned on the radio and suddenly heard an interview about her mother's new book. The radio host announced that 'Ask Phoebe' would be touring the country for the next half year to promote the book. Confused, Payton turned up the volume. Her mother was leaving for six months, why didn't she know about it?

"Seriously, when did your mother decide that?" Henry Jr. asked. "Did you know?"

"No, I didn't." Payton replied angrily. She'd probably not get a chance to talk to her mother before the dinner. It seemed like it was going to be an eventful evening.

Xxx

About an hour for the dinner was set to begin, Melinda hurried around the restaurant to make sure everything was perfect, making sure the glasses were perfectly clean and the napkins neatly folded. She had dressed in an apple green dress for the occasion and needed everything to be perfect. It was a dinner dedicated to her mother after all, hosted in her restaurant. She wanted her to be proud of the work she had done.

"Mel, relax." A voice sounded from behind her as she refolded a napkin for the third time.

Melinda turned around and noticed her boyfriend Ryan standing right behind her. He had traded in his bartending uniform for a nice blazer and jeans. He was a tall and muscular guy with short black hair. Over the last two years, he had been the perfect boyfriend, ever since they decided to move in together after taking over the restaurant. She felt lucky that he was in her life, and even accepted her magic more than she did herself.

"It's just your family." Ryan said. "They don't care about the napkins."

"I just want everything to be perfect." Melinda replied.

"It's your family." Ryan repeated with a sarcastic tone, meaning that things would never be perfect.

"I know that." Melinda replied annoyed. "But I want my mom to be proud."

"You know she is, she will always be proud." Ryan said. "Look how you have taken care of her restaurant."

"I couldn't have done it without you . You are as much a part of this as I am." Melinda said and quickly kissed him. "I know it doesn't have to be perfect, but I just want tonight to be normal, without the magical drama."

Melinda had never liked magic being a part of her life, and since her mother died her desire to lead a normal life had become even more important. Magic had already ruined so much in her life, she had taken her distance from it.

"I think you've just jinxed it." Ryan said with a smile. "Just relax and try to enjoy tonight."

Suddenly, two trails of orbs descended down from the ceiling, taking the shape of her two brothers, Wyatt and Chris. Both looked horrible, despite the nice clothes they were wearing, as if they hadn't slept all night.

"What did I say about orbing in the restaurant?" Melinda called out. "And why do you look so awful?"

"We spent the night demon hunting." Wyatt said. "Apparently someone underestimated the problem."

"So my sources were a little off, at least I take the effort." Chris remarked. "I don't see you doing research, or preparing the potions."

"Guys, no magic talk tonight!" Melinda intervened. "Just get some coffee or something."

Wyatt opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the angry look in her little sister's eyes made him quickly change his mind. Both of her brothers quickly wandered off the bar to get some coffee.

"Relax, remember." Ryan said he placed his hands on Melinda's shoulders.

At that moment, the door of the restaurant opened and Phoebe and Coop came walking in. Everyone greeted each other and Ryan took Coop to the bar to get him a drink, leaving Phoebe alone with her niece.

"Hi, honey." Phoebe said as she gave Melinda a hug. "The place looks amazing."

"Thank you." Melinda said. "So, good news about the tour. When are you leaving?"

"Oh, you saw that?" Phoebe asked laughing uncomfortable. "Yeah, the thing is, we hadn't exactly told the girls yet, so we're kind of hoping they don't know yet."

"You didn't tell them?" Melinda asked.

"Hey, no judging little miss Piper." Phoebe said. "It's not easy to tell your daughters you're leaving, as I'm sure you'll find out someday."

"We're nowhere near that." Melinda quickly said looking at Ryan.

"Anyway, I think telling them during dinner will be a little easier, that way we can inform everyone at once." Phoebe said.

Meanwhile the door of the restaurant opened again and the entire Mitchell family came walking in. Everyone happily greeted each other. Meanwhile Melinda checked her phone to see if she had heard anything from her dad as Phoebe went to greet her sister. He promised to come and she had expected him to be there already. She hoped he didn't back out or got too wrapped up in his work again. Melinda walked over to the bar to Chris, who was talking to Henry Jr.

"Chris." Melinda said. "Have you talked to dad before you got here?"

"No, I haven't seen him." Chris replied. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. I'm a little worried about him." Melinda said.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Chris assured her.

Just as Chris had said it, the door opened and Leo came walking in, freshly showered and shaved. He almost looked like his old, happy self again. Melina walked over and hugged him.

"I'm glad you came." Melinda said.

"Of course." Leo said. "I promised, didn't I?"

A second later, the door opened again and Prue, Penny and Payton came walking in, meaning the family was finally complete. As she left her dad and quickly greeted her cousins, before nodding to Ryan and heading into the kitchen to prepare to serve the first meal. When Melinda headed back into the restaurant with a plate of hors d'oeuvres, everyone had already taken seat at the dinner table. Melinda put the plate on the table and served everyone drinks. Meanwhile Ryan brought the rest of the food and dinner was officially set to begin. Unknown to all, the Spirit of Rage Darius shimmered in outside on the street, luring in and waiting to make his move.

Xxx

As everyone was getting ready to start their meal, Phoebe stood up holding a glass of wine. Everyone turned and looked at her.

"Okay, first of all I would like to thank Melinda and Ryan for preparing this amazing dinner." Phoebe said. "I would also like to remind us all why we're having this dinner. To remember Piper Halliwell, a person who we all loved as a mother, wife, sister and aunt. We all know she's watching us from up there, and we want her to know that we love and miss her every day. So to Piper and to family!"

Everyone raised their glass and cheered. Meanwhile Melinda was especially touched by the speech and wiped away a tear, while Ryan took her hand to comfort her.

"Thank you, aunt Phoebe." Melinda said. "Now let's get started before the food gets cold. We all know that mom hates wasting a good meal."

"Nice speech, mom." Payton suddenly said. "Isn't there something you forgot to add?"

"I'm sorry?" Phoebe asked with a worried look, since she realized what Payton was probably referring to.

"Payton, what are you talking about?" Penny asked.

"Payton, this is not the time or the place." Coop said strictly.

"What's going on?" Prue asked confused.

"Oh, didn't you see mom's interview?" Payton asked. "The one where she told everyone she's going on tour to promote her book for a half year?"

"What?" Penny and Prue called out almost synchronized.

"Wait, just let me explain." Phoebe said. "I was trying to figure out a way to tell you."

"So you figured why not on live television?" Payton replied.

"That was a mistake, I had no idea they were going to ask questions about the tour. Nobody was supposed to know yet." Phoebe explained.

"Your mom just needed a little time to find a way to tell you." Coop added. "She didn't want to leave because she felt you girls still needed her, but the tour is important to her."

"Then why didn't you just tell us that?" Prue asked. "Why the secret?"

"Because I was scared!" Phoebe called out emotionally. "This is my first nationwide tour and I felt like I was abandoning you if I went."

"Okay, why don't we all take a minute to breathe and calm down?" Paige suddenly said as she stood up from her seat. "Let's just try to enjoy this dinner."

Paige managed to get everyone to calm down and sit back down. Phoebe was very emotional and Coop placed an arm around her, while her daughters all seemed to still be mad about the revelation. It would take a miracle to turn this dinner back around, though at least things had calmed down.

"Actually, since we're all busy making confessions." Grace said.

"Grace, no, not now!" Laura immediately snapped.

"What's going on?" Henry asked.

"This will be a lot to take in, but just hear us out." Grace said. "Laura and I have made a decision about our future that you might not agree with, but we hope you will support us anyway."

"What do you mean?" Paige asked.

"Grace and I applied to different colleges." Laura explained. "We were happy when he got accepted into Berkeley, but that wasn't actually our first choice like we told you."

"You applied to another college?" Henry asked.

"Yes, we did, and we got accepted." Laura said. "We're so happy with it, but the thing is, the college we want to go to is in Paris."

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Henry asked shocked.

"The college is in Paris, like in France." Grace said. "It's an amazing school that offers everything we wanted."

"No!" Henry said determined. "Absolutely not."

"But dad..!" Laura started to say.

"I said no, Laura!" Henry called out. "There is no way I'm letting my daughters move halfway around the world."

"Honey." Paige suddenly said. "Before we judge their decisions, don't we have some news of our own that we need to share? I think it's only fair to them and to Junior that they know."

"Know what?" Henry Jr. said as he suddenly heard his name getting involved.

"Yeah, mom. What's this about?" Grace added.

"Your father got a job offer." Paige explained. "He's been given a chance to lead his own department and we're considering it. But the job offer is in LA."

"Are you kidding me?" Laura said angrily. "You're scolding us for making a decision about our future, but meanwhile you're doing the exact same thing?"

"There is a difference." Henry said. "You're our children, we're your parents. And secondly, we're not talking about moving halfway across the world."

"Wait a minute." Henry Jr. said. "So if you take this job, we have to move to LA?"

"Yes." Henry replied.

"There is no way that is happening." Henry Jr. said determined. "I am not moving to LA."

"Junior, if your dad accepts this job, you don't have a choice." Paige said. "You can't stay here alone."

"That's not fair! How come they don't have to?" Henry Jr. called out while pointing at his sisters.

"The girls are nineteen and going to college. You're barely seventeen and still in high school." Paige explained. "They are adults."

"But apparently not adult enough to make our own decisions." Laura remarked.

"Stop it!" Melinda called out as she stood up and slammed her hand on the table. "This was supposed to be a dinner to remember my mom."

Melinda stormed off angrily and Ryan quickly stood up and followed her into the kitchen.

"Melinda is right." Phoebe said feeling guilty. "We're through arguing about out personal stuff here. We'll discuss it at home."

"I think that's for the best." Paige replied.

Everyone sat back down and an uncomfortable and awkward silence filled the room. All the revelations had caught everyone by surprise and had dampened the mood. Outside, Darius smiled as he looked inside. He doubted whether he actually had to do anything as this family was doing a fine job tearing themselves apart at the moment. Maybe just a little push here and there and their frustration would explode in uncontrollable rage.

Darius turned intangible and invisible and stepped through the window into the restaurant. Nobody knew he was there, even if their powers would detect him normally, their emotions were already heightened enough to hide his presence. The scene seemed frozen as he walked around the table as everyone ate quietly. Which of the witches had build up the most frustration? He felt like a kid in a candy store with this much potential rage in one room. Darius raised his hand and conjured a ball of shadow, surrounded by a dark red aura. He juggled it in his hand as he sensed the rage in each of them. What had been discussed right now was only the tip of iceberg. They were a family after all, and over the years all these little annoyances had been building up. Tonight was the perfect night to bring them all out into the open.

Darius threw the ball of shadow at the dark-haired male witch, the younger brother filled with resentment and jealousy toward his brother. He had been quiet for way too long. The witch gasped as the shadow entered his body. Darius then turned and infected them all with the same rage and smiled, he was ready for the real fighting to begin.

Xxx

Meanwhile, the cloaked demon working with the Spirit of Rage appeared in front of the Halliwell manor in flames. He made his way up the stairs and flung his arm to telekinetically slam the door open. He made his way to the attic and destroyed the locked door with a stream of fire. There, in the middle of the attic, stood the all-powerful Book of Shadows, about to lose its protection.

Xxx


	4. Chapter 4

Legacy 101: Endings and Beginnings, part 4

Xxx

Darius smiled as the silence at the restaurant erupted in a chaotic explosion between the family members. He could feel their sweet rage building like a storm in a once silent ocean. With large families like these, daily frustrations were right there under the surface and could come out with the smallest nudge. Only a few among them he could not infect, the magic school teacher, the boyfriend and the cupid, they were not frustrated enough for this powers to work, the rest, on the contrary, were filled with rage. The fighting quickly divided in three separate groups, each family apart. He walked among them unnoticed and enjoyed the show.

"There is no way I am moving to LA with you!" Junior said. "You don't have the right to make that decision for me!"

"We are your parents, you don't have a choice." Henry Sr. said.

"Screw you. You can't control me." Junior called out. "I wish you would leave, so I could finally make my own decisions."

"You better stop it right now!"Henry said.

"Or what? What are you going to do, you're just a mortal." Junior said.

"Junior! Do not talk to your father like that?" Paige called out.

"Why not? It's true." Laura intervened. "The only reason you want to control everything is because you can't stand the fact that you're powerless."

"She's right. That is why you don't want us to move to Paris." Grace added.

"How dare you?" Paige called out. "Your father had always provided for you. Right now, you are all acting like immature brats. None of you are going anywhere."

"We'll see about that." Laura said. "I am going to Paris and you can't stop me. I am so done with all of you. It's time to start my own life."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Grace suddenly asked. "Do you mean me as well?"

"That is so not the point." Laura said.

"Oh, so it is? You don't like the fact that I am going to Paris?" Grace asked.

"Well, it's a little curious, don't you think? That you decide to go to school is Paris right after I decide the same thing?" Laura said. "Why don't you do something original for once?"

"I am original. I don't need to copy you. Who would want to?" Grace replied. "You're just some boring bookworm."

"Well, at least I'm not an idiot like you." Laura replied.

"You take that back." Grace demanded.

"Why should I? It's true. If it wasn't for me, you would have never even graduated." Laura said. "If you had studied instead of making out with your boyfriend all the time."

"At least I had a boyfriend, old spinster." Grace snapped. "At least guys are interested in me. I am the pretty one after all."

"Yes, the pretty stupid one." Laura replied. "If it wasn't for me, you would have never been allowed in Paris. I had to beg the school to accept you."

Grace let out a frustrated scream and raised her hand. A stream of fire suddenly shot from her hand to her sister. Laura quickly raised the palm of her hand to her mouth and blew out a cloud of ice particles that extinguished the flames.

"Girls, stop it!" Henry called.

"Losing control?" Junior remarked. "That's what you get for trying to control everything."

"Shut up." Henry warned him. "I am done with you kids thinking that magic makes you special, that the rules don't apply to you."

"Your rules, you mean, which are stupid." Junior replied. "You just want us to be ordinary like you. I had enough of this."

"You're not going anywhere." Henry said.

"Just try to stop me." Junior replied.

Henry Jr. started to walk away but his father tried to grab him by the arm. Junior turned and his father's hand orbed right through his body as he turned intangible. His father tripped and fell to the ground.

"Junior, sit down!" Paige yelled. "How dare you disrespect your father like that?"

Paige waved her hand and suddenly orbs surrounded her son and teleported him back to his chair. She then turned to the twins, who had dropped the powers and were pulling each other's hair on the ground. Paige waved her hand and each of them orbed to a different corner of the room. She then walked over to Henry and helped him up.

"This is all your fault." Henry snapped at his wife.

"Excuse me?" Paige asked insulted.

"I told you we should bind the kids' powers, but you wouldn't do it." Henry said. "I wanted to grow up like normal kids and now they disrespect me because they're more powerful than me."

"Well, Henry, maybe you should have thought about that before you proposed to a witch." Paige snapped back. "Sorry if my children's legacy interferes with your ego."

The couple exchanged furious looks as the demon Darius fueled their rage and fed off their frustration. Meanwhile Phoebe and her children had their own fight going on. Tired of the Mitchells, Darius walked to the Halliwells and started to listen in.

Xxx

"Would you girls just listen to me for a second?" Phoebe asked. "I didn't tell you I was going on a tour because, quite frankly, I was looking forward to the peace and quiet for once. I was tired of just being the mom all the time, I needed a break."

"Yes, because everything always has to revolve around you, doesn't it?" Prue snapped. "It's always about ask Phoebe and her perfect little life. You ruin everything."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Phoebe asked.

"You know exactly what it means." Prue replied "You ruined my chances at ever getting the job I wanted, because everyone at the paper is obsessed with you. I was rejected because you pissed some guy off in your column or something."

"Well, I am sorry my career is important to me." Phoebe said. "I'll just stop helping all those people."

"No, please, continue." Prue replied. "You're better at helping complete strangers than your own daughters. Just go on your tour, and maybe I can lead my life without having to hear how I compare to you every day."

"Yeah, because you are so different." Penny remarked. "You are exactly the same; everything always has to revolve around you."

"Oh, poor Penny." Prue replied. "Is that why you go through your little rebellion stages? Because you are jealous?"

"Yeah right." Penny remarked. "What should I be jealous about? Your failing career or your hopeless love life?"

"At least I don't randomly sleep around with every guy that offers me a drink." Prue snapped. "I'm not a total slut."

"I am not a slut!" Penny snapped.

"Really?" Prue asked. "Tell that to the entire high school football team. We all heard the stories."

"Penny!" Phoebe called out.

"Don't even start." Penny said. "Aunt Paige told me what you used to do in high school. Don't pretend you are better than me."

"God, can you all just stop talking about your issues for once?" Payton asked.

"For what?" Penny asked. "Does the baby of the family feel ignored again? Poor little Payton, always invisible."

"Shut up. Stop treating me like a kid." Payton said.

"Then stop acting like one." Prue replied. "Or are you going to start crying again like you do every time things don't go your way? You're sixteen Payton, start acting like it."

Suddenly Coop stepped in the middle of the fight and looked at his wife and daughters. He could barely recognize the women they were acting like now.

"Stop it, all of you." Coop said. "What is wrong with you?"

"Don't even start." Penny said. "You are just as bad as mom; you kept the secret as well."

"Your mother had good reasons for keeping it quiet for while." Coop said.

"Of course you support mom, like always." Prue said. "Have you ever disagreed with her? Or are you so intertwined that you have no mind of your own?"

"Do not talk to your father like that!" Phoebe said as she stepped in the middle.

"Would you all stop it?" Payton yelled.

"Shut up!" Phoebe, Prue and Penny all snapped at once.

Payton screamed angrily, but the others ignored her and continued fighting among themselves. Darius appeared behind the youngest Halliwell and read her frustration, she was tired of always being ignored. He enhanced her rage just a little bit and she stormed at the table and grabbed a bottle of wine.

"Stop ignoring me!" Payton yelled as she threw the bottle.

Both Phoebe and Prue ducked as they saw the bottle being thrown, while Penny jumped and levitated into the air to avoid it. The bottle smashed against the wall and colored it red. As Penny landed, she bumped into Prue, who pushed her back. The two sisters then attacked each other and fell to the ground screaming and fighting.

Phoebe walked toward them and Darius wondered if she was going to break up the fight or join it. But then her husband grabbed her arm and tried to calm her down, to which she started struggling and hitting him against his chest. To Darius it was all very amusing.

xxx

Meanwhile, on the other side of the restaurant, Melinda was furiously screaming at her boyfriend over the ruined night. Meanwhile her father was trying to keep his sons from attacking each other.

"I am so sick of it." Chris said. "Everyone is always talking about Wyatt, the great and powerful. I am tired of living in your shadow."

"Oh boo hoo, poor little Chris, always second best." Wyatt replied. "I have had it with your whining and self-pity. If you really hate being in my shadow that much, why don't you stop acting like little bitch and do something for once."

"Shut up." Chris yelled. "I do everything, I write the spell, make the potions, track the demons. Then you come in and vanquish them and take all the credit."

"I guess some of us are just natural talents." Wyatt replied.

"God, I have had it with your arrogance and self-righteousness." Chris said. "Perfect Wyatt, who we must all love and worship."

"I am the arrogant one?" Wyatt said. "You think you're so much smarter and hardworking than me, but the truth is that you need it to keep up with me. Face it, I am just superior to you. Everyone knows it."

"Shut up!" Chris yelled.

Chris flung his arm and telekinetically threw Wyatt across the room, who crashed into a table. Leo then stepped in and grabbed Chris' arm.

"Have you lost your mind?" Leo asked. "What are you doing?"

"Did you just broke my table?" Melinda suddenly interrupted. "Great, I'll add that to the list of things that are ruined."

"Oh, stop your whining, Melinda." Chris snapped. "Nobody cares about a stupid table."

"I do, this is my restaurant now." Melinda said. "I have had it with magic interfering with my life and ruining things. I had one rule, no magic."

"Just drop it, Melinda." Chris said. "We all know you're trying to be mom, but you're not, so just get over it already."

"Chris!" Leo said upset.

Before anyone else could react, Wyatt suddenly jumped up and focused on a chair. He held out his hand and telekinetically orbed it at Chris. However, Chris ducked at it headed for Melinda instead, who defensively raised her hands and froze it mid-air. Chris then telekinetically threw it back at Wyatt, who raised a force field which shattered the chair.

"I am so done with all of you." Melinda said. "I want no more magic in my life. And I don't need you in my life anymore either."

She started to walk away, but Ryan grabbed her hand.

"Mel, wait." Ryan said. "What has gotten into you, you are acting like a crazy person."

"Please, like you could ever understand, you're mortal." Melinda said. "Magic is a curse that has ruined my life."

"I know." Ryan said. "I was there, remember, the night your mother died."

In a flash, Melinda suddenly slapped him across the face and yanked her arm away. "How dare you talk about my mom like that?" she screamed.

Before anyone else could respond, she stormed off into the kitchen. Meanwhile a heartbroken Leo looked at Chris and Wyatt, who had walked over and stared at the kitchen door.

"What?" Chris asked. "Like this is somehow my fault? Of course, always blame the black sheep of the family."

"Yes, Chris, everything is your fault, everyone hates you." Wyatt snapped. "We should all pity sad little Chris."

Chris spun around and hit Wyatt on the jaw. Wyatt stumbled back and rubbed his painful jaw while spitting out blood. He then stood up and prepared to attack his brother.

"If that is the way you want to play it, little brother." Wyatt said. "You have never been able to beat me."

"No!" Leo firmly said as he stepped in between his sons. "This has gone on long enough. It ends now. Clearly there is something very wrong here. Chris, go get the Book of Shadows."

"But.." Chris started.

"Now!" Leo snapped.

Without saying another word, Chris disappeared in a swirl of orbs. Meanwhile, Coop came running over and pulled Leo away while Ryan tried to calm Wyatt down. The two men walked over to the corner of the room to discuss what was going on. Meanwhile, all other fights seemed to continue.

"Okay, clearly something is very wrong here." Coop said.

"I know, I send Chris to get the book." Leo confirmed "Whatever this is, it's has to be magical."

"Yes, everyone's emotions are out of control." Coop said. "The anger here is almost overwhelming, it's hard to keep a clear mind myself."

"Well, whatever it is, it's not limited to witches, since Henry seems infected as well." Leo said as he studied the room.

"It seems to only affect people who are already upset about something." Coop noted. "My girls were upset about the tour, junior and the twins about the move and Paris."

"And Wyatt and Chris always have their struggles." Leo continued sadly. "And for Melinda, all magic reminds her of how she lost her mother."

"My point is, there has to be something or someone affecting them." Coop said. "And this kind of emotional manipulation has to be done from close range."

"So whatever is doing is, has to be here." Leo concluded. "We need Melinda to freeze the room, contain whatever is causing this until we find out what it is."

"You got get her, I'll try to keep everyone calm and in one place." Coop said. "I think I can at least calm them down a little."

Leo nodded and both men went their separate ways. Leo disappeared into the kitchen while Coop closed his eyes and raised his ring in the air. A pinkish glow appeared from the ring and spread across the room. The fighting seemed to stop for a moment, but the Cupid magic soon wore off and everyone continued with their arguments.

Darius smiled as he walked past the cupid. Did he really think his little love magic could solve all that repressed anger? What a fool he was. Nothing was stronger than rage, not even love. Cupids were always clueless about that stuff. As he walked around, Darius suddenly noticed several people were gone, he had been distracted by the fight between the Mitchells for a moment too long and had lost focus of the entire room. Had they stormed off angrily or where they starting to figure out his plans? Had he made a mistake? Darius quickly looked around and saw the kitchen doors opening. The witch Melinda appeared and gestured her hands, then everything went black.

xxx

Chris appeared in the hall of the Halliwell manor in a swirl of orbs. Still filled with anger, he slammed his fist into the wall. A second later, he realized that was a mistake as pain ran through his arm and his knuckles started to bleed. He wished he had the power to heal, but of course he didn't. Wyatt had the power to heal, the golden boy. He always had to be better at everything.

Then suddenly something changed in Chris, as if the anger suddenly left his body. He instantly felt bad about what had happened. About everything that he had said. Where had that come from? Something was very wrong, his dad had noticed, which is why he had sent him to get the Book of Shadows. He was about to run up to the attic when he felt a cold wind. Chris turned around and saw the front door was wide open. Something wad definitely wrong.

Chris ran upstairs to the attic, he needed to protect the book at all costs. If it fell in the wrong hands, his family was in grave danger. As he raced into the attack, he saw a demon in a black cloak standing over the book, his face hidden by his cloak.

"Who the hell are you?" Chris asked.

"Your worst nightmare." The demon replied.

The demon placed his hand on the book and flipped through the pages. Somehow the book had lost its protection, but how? Then the truth hit Chris, they had all been fighting, using their powers on each other, while the book was tied to their family connection. All the fighting had lowered its defenses.

"Do you understand now?" the demon said.

The demon raised his hand and telekinetically threw Chris back against the wall. The young witch could crawl back up just in time to see the demon disappear with the book in flames as he laughed manically. It was lost, and now it wouldn't be long before they were all lost.

Xxx


	5. Chapter 5

Legacy 101: Endings and Beginnings, part 5

Xxx

As Melinda entered the restaurant from the kitchen, she raised her hands and froze everything in the room, like her father instructed. She still didn't see the point though, she had good reason to be angry. She was not being manipulated, she just couldn't stand magic constantly interfering with her life. And now she had taken her frustration out on Ryan, which she suddenly felt bad about, though she believed he deserved it a second ago. She felt strange, like suddenly her anger faded. Maybe her father was right after all, and maybe something else was going on.

"Okay, everybody. Calm down and sit down." Leo said.

Melinda looked around and saw the rest of her family was as much is a daze as she was. None of them knew what had gotten into them. Horrible things were said and done, and everyone felt terrible about it.

"Dad, what is going on?" Wyatt asked.

"That's what we're about to find out." Leo said. "Clearly, something has affected all of you, causing you to lose control of your issues and let your frustrations out."

"It felt so real." Phoebe said. "I remember feeling like that only once before."

"I know." Leo said confirming. "I suspect we're thinking about the same thing. Look, I know a lot of hurtful things were said, but this has to be the work evil. You cannot let it get to you, whatever is going on, we need to stick together."

"Easier said than done." Penny said. "Whatever caused us to lash out, it didn't make all of this happen out of nothing. Everything that was said, we believe to be true."

"Maybe there is a core of truth." Phoebe said. "But whatever did this, it worsened out thoughts and poisoned our minds, it enhanced our frustrations to the point where we could not hold them back, even though we would have never said them."

"How does that change anything?" Laura asked. "They are still our own thoughts."

"It changes everything." Paige replied. "It's normal to become upset with each other. We're family. But we cannot let our darkest thoughts ruin that bond. Phoebe, Leo, it sounds like you might know what we're dealing with?"

"I remember feeling like this before." Phoebe said. "When Prue, Piper and I were the Charmed Ones. A demon infected us with rage, causing us to lash out at each other, which nearly destroyed the Power of Three."

"Andras, the Spirit of Rage." Leo said. "Phoebe, can you use your empathy to find the source?"

"I'll try." Phoebe said as she closed her eyes.

"I feel a lot of anger in the room, and hurt." Phoebe said emotionally. "It's hard to sense past our own feelings right now. But I feel a darkness here, I just can't pinpoint it."

"The demon has to be invisible." Wyatt said. "That is how it moved around without us knowing it was here."

"Well, I think I froze it, it has to be around here somewhere." Melinda said.

"We can lower the temperate." Paige said. "I once read in the book that some demons use ectoplasm, which makes them vulnerable to cold. Laura, can you do something?"

"I can't use my power on the entire room." Laura said. "I'm not that powerful."

"Just try." Paige said.

"Okay, might as well lower the room to the emotional coldness here right now." Laura remarked.

Laura raised the palm of her hand to her mouth and blew out a cloud of ice particles. She froze a part of the room, which revealed nothing. She then moved over to another part and blew out another cloud of ice.

"Hey, watch it." Henry Jr. called out as he was nearly caught in the cloud. "I don't want to become a human popsicle over here."

Junior walked away from the cloud. As he stepped forward, he suddenly bumped into something invisible, which threw him back as he dematerialized in a swirl of orbs. He fell on the ground and looked up confused.

"What the hell what that?" Henry Jr. asked.

Leo walked over the same spot and held out his arm, but nothing happened. Meanwhile Wyatt helped his younger cousin up from the floor.

"Intangibility." Leo said and seemed deep in thought. "Junior, your power of intangible orbing allows you to move through solid objects. But what if you came across something that was intangible itself? Your powers would cancel each other out."

"So I can move through solid objects, but not through things that aren't solid?" Henry Jr. asked skeptical. "That makes no sense."

"Just try again, carefully." Paige said.

Junior walked over to the same spot and carefully stuck out his arm. As his hand came across something, it dematerialized into orbs. However, instead of being knocked back, Junior slowly reached further. Suddenly, a ripple in the air appeared and the demon became visible. He appeared as a young man, with short dark brown hair, dark eyes and sharp eyebrows.

"That's new." Henry Jr. remarked.

"So this is the demon that caused all of this?" Penny asked. "I say let's vanquish him right now."

"Agreed." Grace said and she raised her hand and conjured fire.

"No, we need to find out why he did this." Phoebe said. "He couldn't have done this randomly."

Suddenly a trail of orbs appeared and materialized into Chris, who fell over on the floor in pain. Wyatt and Leo quickly ran over to help him, which Melinda right behind them. As she came close, he noticed he was hurt and was bleeding, though Wyatt quickly started healing him. When he was fully healed, Chris stood up and looked at the demon.

"A spirit of Rage." Chris said. "Of course, that would explain everything."

"What happened to you?" Melinda asked.

"I was attacked in the attic, another demon stole the Book of Shadows." Chris said. "We're in huge trouble."

"Oh no." Phoebe said. "I should have realized this right away."

"Don't blame yourself." Paige said. "We were all caught up in our own drama."

"At least we have a lead." Leo said.

Everyone turned and looked the still frozen Darius, the Spirit of Rage, who was now visible to all. If anyone knew the answers, it was him, though Melinda wondered if they could get him to talk. With the Book of Shadows missing, they were all in danger.

xxx

In a dark cavern in the underworld lit by purple torches, the cloaked demon appeared through flames with the Book of Shadows clutched under his arms. Finally the cursed book was his and he could gain the retribution he had sought for so long. The Warren witches would suffer. In the middle of the room stood a basin with mirroring grey fluid.

"Show yourself, Seer." The demon demanded.

A swirl of black smoke appeared from the ground and took the shape of a young woman with olive skin and dark brown wavy hair. She was dressed in a revealing black dress and wore a flower-shaped amulet around her neck.

"You obtained the book." The Seer said.

"Surprised?" the demon asked.

"I had foreseen it, of course." The Seer said. "It just took you longer than expected. Last time we met was more than ten years ago, when the Twice-Blessed lost his powers."

"I needed time to regain my powers, considering the weak state I was left in after my last encounter with the witches." The demon replied.

"Of course." The Seer said in a sarcastic tone. "So what do you want from me this time?"

"Payback." The demon said. "I want to use the book against the witches, turn their own magic against them. And I need your assistance."

"I see now." The Seer said. "What you seek to do requires a lot of magic and energy. You know my price."

"I will get you all the souls you could ever need once I claim power of the Underworld." The demon said.

"The spell will require all my attention, I will be left defenseless." The Seer said.

"I will protect you, as long as you are of use to me." The demon said.

"Good enough." The Seer said. "Hand me the book."

The cloaked demon walked over the Seer and handed her the Book of Shadows. The Seer waved her hand over the basin and the fluid turned to solid stone. She placed the book on the basin and opened it, flipping to nearly the end of the book. She studied the page closely and then closed her eyes. She held her hands over the book and started chanting the worlds backward. A darkness emerged from the book and filled the cavern.

Xxx

As Melinda unfroze the Spirit of Rage's head, he seemed shocked that he wasn't able to move. However, when he looked around the room and saw everyone staring at him, he seemingly realized that he was in trouble. It was time to interrogate him and find out what he knew, they had no idea who had stolen the book, so the Spirit was their only lead.

"I unfroze your head." Melinda said. "So we can talk."

"I don't have anything to say to you." Darius replied.

"It doesn't have to be a pleasant conversation." Grace said as she stepped forward with a flame in her hand. "That's completely up to you."

"We just want to know who sent you and how we can find him." Chris said.

"What makes you think I'm working for someone?" Darius asked.

"No demon would risk coming after us like this." Wyatt said. "Not when there is nothing to gain from it. You have to have a partner, or else this would have just been a waste of your time and your life."

"I won't say anything." Darius said.

"You don't have too." Penny said.

Penny stepped forward and placed both hands of his head as she used telepathy to penetrate his mind. However, after a few seconds, she cried out in pain and let go of the demon.

"Are you okay?" Prue asked. "What did you find out?"

"All I saw were images of a cloaked figure. I have no idea who or what it was, but he's definitely not working alone." Penny said. "His mind was so dark and twisted that I couldn't read anymore."

"That's okay, you did your best." Phoebe said as she placed an arm around her daughter.

"Who is the cloaked demon?" Wyatt asked.

"I already told you, you will get no answers from me, witch." Darius said.

"Okay, so who's going to torture him?" Henry Jr. asked.

"Allow me." Grace said as she stepped forward.

"No wait." Paige said. "There is another way. I don't want you using your powers for this. We use a crystal cage."

Paige waved her hand and five white crystals appeared around the Spirit of Rage in a swirl of orbs. Immediately, arcs of light connected the crystals and formed a force field around him.

"You can unfreeze him now, Melinda." Paige said. "The cage will prevent him from teleporting or becoming intangible."

Melinda unfroze the demon and Paige stepped forward to the cage and orbed a sixth crystal to her hand. As soon as she raised it to the cage, a surge of electricity surged through the cage. Darius cried out in pain as he was shocked and fell to his knees.

"Alright, I'll tell you everything I know." Darius said. "If you let me leave."

"Start talking." Phoebe said.

"All I know is that he approached me." Darius explained. "He said he had a plan to get the Book by weakening the bond of your family. He seemed to know a lot about you, he said he knew you."

"And you don't know who he was?" Wyatt asked. "That gives us nothing."

"It's something." Darius replied. "He knew you. He made it sound personal."

"This is useless, let's just vanquish him." Chris said.

"Yeah, I agree." Penny said. "I don't think he knows any more. What he said matches with what I saw in his mind."

"Wait, you said you'd let me leave." Darius said.

"We never said anything like that." Chris said. "You really think we'd let you go free and ruin the lives of all your future victims. We're doing the world a favor."

"That's not fair!" Darius called out.

"You had it coming." Prue said.

Chris took the crystal from Paige and pressed it against the cage. Darius screamed in pain as electricity surged through his body until he was vanquished in a fiery explosion. Only a black skeleton remained, which fell apart in dust after a moment. Chris then gathered the remaining crystals and orbed them back to the manor.

"So now what?" Chris asked.

Before anyone could respond, a darkness suddenly emerged from behind Chris and wrapped around him. It was like living shadow spreading across the room. Two streams of shadow shot out and knocked Wyatt and Penny to one side of the room, and Prue and the twins to the other side. A third stream shot at Henry Jr., but it orbed straight through him and instead wrapped itself around Payton. A few more appeared and blasted Leo, Coop and Henry against the wall behind them, knocking off three of them unconscious. Ryan grabbed Melinda and pulled her aside, through the two were quickly surrounded by shadow.

"The Woogyman!" Phoebe called out as she avoided a stream of shadow.

"How is that possible? It was vanquished along with the Nexus." Paige yelled.

The two elder witches were surrounded by shadows, which started to enter through their nostrils and suffocate them. The same happened to Chris and Payton, as well as Ryan and Melinda. The shadow also surrounded Henry Jr., but could not hold on to him. However, his power did not prevent the shadow from fully surrounding him and enter his nostrils. Meanwhile the last ones standing got back up to their feet and kept their distance to avoid being chocked as well.

"How do we stop it?" Wyatt asked.

"There was this spell." Prue said. "My mom used to sing it before bedtime."

"Hurry, they are running out of air." Laura called out in panic.

"What was it?" Prue mumbled as searched her memories. "_I am light, I am one too strong to fight._ Penny help me!"

"I am trying." Penny said. "_I am one too strong to fight_. _Return to dark where shadows dwell_."

"_You cannot have this Halliwell_." Prue called out. "That's it, now the last part."

Before she could continue, another stream of shadows suddenly shot forward and wrapped itself around Prue, dragging her toward the Woogyman. Laura and Grace quickly grabbed Prue's hands and pulled back. Meanwhile, the others getting suffocated by it were gasping for air as time ran out.

Laura and Grace. At the same time, a few more streams shot at Wyatt and Penny, through Wyatt raised a force field to defend himself and his cousin while Penny frantically searched for the ending of the spell.

"Any day now, Penn." Wyatt said.

"_I am the light, I am one too strong to fight. Return to dark were shadows dwell, you cannot have this Halliwell_." Penny repeated.

"Go away! And Leave my sight!" Prue cried out.

"That's it. I know the spell." Penny called out and started chanting the spell. "_I am the light, I am one too strong to fight. Return to dark were shadows dwell, you cannot have this Halliwell_. _Now go away, and leave my sight. And take with you, this endless night."_

The shadow shuddered and somehow roared as white lights started to swirl around it and drive it back. Everyone caught in the shadow was released and gasped for air. Eventually the lights started swirling around it faster and the shadow shrunk until there was nothing left.

"What is going on?" Payton asked as she coughed.

"Someone is really trying to use the past against us." Phoebe said, while Wyatt ran over to his father and uncles and started healing them.

"How?" Chris asked.

"We went through this before." Phoebe said. "A demon called Abraxas once stole the book and started reading id backwards, which undid all the vanquishing spells we used."

"But isn't the shadow a part of the Nexus?" Paige asked.

"No, the Woogyman was originally a shadow being that was banished into the Nexus." Phoebe said. "I guess they somehow merged at some point. When we banished the Nexus, that connection must have been severed somehow, allowing the demon to bring it back."

"So this mystery demon has the power to bring back all past demons now?" Prue asked. "How are we going to defeat him? We don't even know how to find him."

"But we can find the book." Chris said. "It's magically tied to our family, no matter how much our fighting weakened it, it's still a part of us."

"How?" Penny asked.

"We can summon it to us." Chris said and turned to his aunt Phoebe. "If I remember correctly, that is how you got it back from Abraxas right?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure if that will work this time." Phoebe said. "In order to summon it, we need to be as one, and right now, I'm not sure if any of us is capable of that."

"We just need to put aside our differences for now." Chris said.

"It doesn't work like that." Leo suddenly said as he joined the conversation after being healed. "The power of the Warren line has always lied in the bond between you. The fights you had, the feelings that were hurt, it damaged that power. It will take work to regain it."

"So what?" Wyatt asked. "We're just supposed to wait until the next demon or something attacks until we can talk it out?"

"I don't see another way." Leo said. "Whatever issues you have, you need to settle it fast, before the mystery demon sends an army our way."

Everyone looked at each other in uncertainty, a lot of hurtful things were said and they were all unsure if they could repair their broken relationships in time. Despite all being together, the family had never been more apart than now.

xxx


	6. Chapter 6

Legacy 101: Endings and Beginnings, part 6

Xxx

The cloaked demon impatiently walked in circles around the Seer, who was standing over the Book of Shadows lying on the stone table in the middle of the Underworld cavern. The Seers' eyes had turned pure white as she was gazing elsewhere, either the past, present or future. The purple torches casted an eerie light over the beautiful demoness and her olive skin seemed to glow. The cloaked demon knew she was not to be trusted, but as long as she held up her end of the deal, he would allow her to live. However, the moment she betrayed him, she would die. Suddenly the Seer blinked, and her eyes returned to their normal dark brown selves.

"The Shadow failed." The Seer said. "The Halliwells are aware of your plans."

"It doesn't matter as long as they don't find me." The cloaked demon replied. "Where are they now?"

"They are scattering, wrapped up in their personal issues." The Seer said. "Even though Darius brought out their rage, they realize that all their problems were just below the surface."

"If they repair their relationships, we will no longer be able to access the Book." The cloaked demon said.

"As long as it is in our possession, we can still wield its powers." The Seer replied.

"I am not taking that chance." The cloaked demon said. "You need to summon another demon, an army of demons to kill them while we have the chance."

"Why go through all his trouble?" The Seer said. "The Power of Three is broken, you should be able to kill the witches on your own."

"I am not ready yet." The cloaked demon said. "My full power has still not returned to me. The risk is too great. I will not be defeated again."

"So be it." The Seer said. "Who should be sent after them next then?"

"We need to hit them where it hurts the most." The cloaked demon replied. "I have studied them for years. I know which demon will hurt each of them the most."

"Some are beyond my control." The Seer warned him. "I cannot summon those stronger than me and those powerful enough can ignore my call."

"I understand, but that will not be a problem." The cloaked demon said. "Although powerful, the demon I have in mind will not be difficult to control, though he will shake them to their core."

"Understood." The Seer said with an evil smile.

The Seer flipped through the pages of the Book of Shadows until she found the right page. She then held her hands above the book and once again started reading the spells on the page backwards. The cloaked demon watched as a strong wind started blowing in the cavern and smirked.

Xxx

Paige Matthews opened the front door of her home and went inside, followed by her husband and three children. All of there had been quiet since they had left the restaurant, which made the car ride home the most uncomfortable she ever had, even worse than when the twins had both thrown up at the water park. Paige turned on the light and took up her coat. When she heard footsteps up the stairs, she turned around and saw Laura and Grace heading upstairs.

"Where are you going?" Paige asked.

"To change out of these clothes." Laura said.

"Fine, just hurry up and get back down here." Paige said. "Apparently we have a lot to talk about."

The twins turned around and headed upstairs while Henry walked over to the kitchen to get a beer. Meanwhile Junior dropped down in a chair and put the earplugs of his phone in his ears and Paige could hear the loud music a second later. She stood in the middle of the room while her family was divided, and she had no idea what to do or what to say. She cursed the demon for all that he had done, but realized that this would have happened sooner or later. She could not stop her children from moving on, as much as she wanted too.

Paige started pacing around the room as she waited for Henry got get back and sat down in his favorite chair. A moment later the twins came back down dressed in simple homely clothes and sat down on the couch.

"Junior." Paige said, pointing to him to take his earplugs out.

Junior turned to her and took them out, putting his phone away. All her children's eyes focused on her and Paige realized she really didn't know what to say. She didn't want her daughters to leave the country, but she wasn't in a position to judge them as she and Henry were planning to leave as well.

"When did you decide this about Paris?" Paige eventually asked.

"We decided months ago, but the applications took forever." Laura said. "We got the acceptance letters just last week."

"Why didn't you tell us? Why spring it on us during a family dinner like that?" Paige asked.

"Because we knew how you would react, especially dad." Grace said.

"How did you expect us to react when you tell us like that?" Henry called out. "Besides, I don't want you there alone."

"We won't be alone." Laura said. "We've got each other, plus the school will provide everything and you're always an orb away."

"It's still not happening." Henry said determined. "You were accepted into Berkeley, you can go there."

"But we don't want to go there." Laura said. "We really want this. It's our life."

"And you're my daughters and you're not ready to live in another country." Henry replied.

"You can't decide that for us, we're adults. You need to let us live out own lives." Grace said.

"I am the one who is paying for your college education." Henry said. "That means it is also my decision, not just yours."

"That's not fair." Laura said. "When we filled out the applications, you said you would support us no matter what."

"That's because you only showed us the applications to the schools in the country." Paige said. "You should have been honest with us from the start."

"Would it have mattered?" Laura called out.

"Look can we get to the real issue here?" Junior suddenly said. "I don't care which college they go to. I am not moving to LA with you."

"That's not a matter of discussion." Henry said. "I got a job offer which I accepted, so we're moving to LA."

"Do you have any idea how hypocritical that is?" Laura asked. "We can't make our own decision, but you get to choose for everyone?"

"Look, we are the parents here." Paige said. "You two are heading off to college, but Junior is still in high school. He is still a minor and he needs to be with his parents."

"That is so unfair." Junior replied. "There is no way I am moving to LA. All my friends are here, my entire life is here. Not to mention our entire family and our magical heritage."

"You don't have a choice, Junior." Henry said.

"I am not moving." Junior replied stubbornly.

"You can't stay here on your own." Paige said. "How do you plan to live?"

"Well, maybe I can live with uncle Leo." Junior said. "Melinda moved out two years ago, so a room is free in the manor."

"No, your uncle has enough to deal with." Paige said.

"Besides, even if your uncle agreed, there is no way we're agreeing to that." Henry said.

"The twin were right, you are just a major control freak." Junior said.

"Junior." Paige warned him.

"I am just trying to what is right. I am your father after all." Henry said. "Is it that hard to understand I want to keep you all close and safe? The world is dangerous enough, and your magic puts you into even more danger."

"Well, you need to learn to let go." Grace said. "We will need to start living our lives at some point, and you need to learn to trust us."

"Grace is right, we understand what you're trying to say, but we're adults now." Laura said.

The twins got up from the couch and started walking toward the stairs. A second later, Junior stood up as well and walked up the stairs after his sisters. Paige wanted to say something to make them stay, but didn't know what. She understood her husband and wanted to keep her children with her as well, but she understood their desire for independence just as much. She had been the same.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open and a powerful gust of wind entered the house. Paige quickly got up and ran toward the door while her kids turned around halfway up the stairs and looked down. A small tornado entered the house and took the shape of a tall demon dressed in rags with pale blue skin. Paige's heart stopped for a moment as she was once again confronted by the demon that had killed her sister, the assassin Shax.

Shax revealed an evil grin and raised his arm, he then unleashed a powerful blast of concentrated wind force at her children. Paige stood frozen, but before the attack hit, Henry jumped in the way and was blasted through the railings of the stairs. He crashed into a small table in the hallway and remained motionless on the floor.

"Dad!" Laura cried out.

Paige snapped to her senses and quickly held out her hand, telekinetically orbing a couple of emergency potions from the kitchen and threw them at Shax. The potion exploded against his chest and he stumbled backward, but was barely injured. At the same time, Grace stepped down the stairs and threw a stream of fire at the demonic assassin, though the fire barely hurt him. Paige knew he could only be vanquished by the Power of Three, or something equally powerful. However, her main concern right now was Henry.

"Underworld!" Paige called out as she tried to orb Shax to the hell he came from.

Shax cried out in anger as he became surrounded by orbs and disappeared. Paige realized it was a temporary solution, but she needed to heal Henry. Meanwhile Junior had already kneeled down by his father and had a hand on his chest, which was bleeding. Paige quickly pushed him aside and started healing her husband, desperately hoping she wasn't too late.

xxx

Around the same time, Phoebe arrived back at her home with Coop and her daughters in a flash of pink light. They would have to pick up the car tomorrow, but they needed to work this out fast. As long as evil had the Book of Shadows they were all in danger. Since everyone had barely eaten before the fight started, Phoebe went into the kitchen and got some leftovers from the fridge. Soon everyone gathered in the kitchen in silence as they ate.

"So can we talk about what happened?" Phoebe asked to break the silence.

"I don't really feel like talking about it." Penny said casually.

"Well, you have too. You have this fix this, we are all in danger." Coop replied.

"It's okay." Phoebe said. "I will start. I got the offer about a month ago, after my book became a bestseller. My publicist got a lot of offers for book signings and TV shows all over the country. It's a really big opportunity, a chance to go national. They are even talking about me running a talk show."

"So why didn't you tell us before?" Prue asked.

"Because I thought it was selfish of me to leave." Phoebe said. "I have dreamt of this for years, but you girls are more important to me."

"Keeping it a secret was much worse." Payton said. "I had to hear it from a radio. You should have told us."

"I know, I am sorry." Phoebe said.

"Me too. I said some awful things to all of you." Payton said.

"We all did." Payton added.

"Prue, what happened with your interview?" Phoebe asked.

"There was this guy, Sheldon, who gave me a hard time because he didn't like you." Prue said. "He said something about you always running off for 'family emergencies'. He also said I tried to use your position there to get a job, which is ridiculous, as I even used a fake last name on my application."

"I know Sheldon." Phoebe said. "He doesn't like me, no, but that shouldn't matter. Do you want me to call the paper?"

"No!" Prue called. "The whole point of this was getting this job on my own to prove myself."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Phoebe said. "I know you can handle this on your own."

"Great, so are we done here?" Penny asked bored. "Because I could really use a shower."

"No, we're not done." Phoebe said. "What is going on with you? All the partying and drinking, the boys. I am worried about you."

"Don't be, I'm fine." Penny replied.

"I don't think you are." Coop said. "You seem to have no direction in life. You go to college, but all you do is party. It is like you have no goals."

"Look, I am sorry I am not little miss perfect like Prue." Penny called out. "You're right, I have no idea what I want to do. Sorry for not having a ten-year plan. I am still trying to figure that out, so why can't you let me do that?"

"We're just worried." Phoebe said. "You are just as smart and beautiful as your sisters, but you seem to lack motivation. You are just like me when I was your age."

"So, you turned out okay. Why can't you trust the same will happen with me?" Penny asked.

"I do. We do." Phoebe said as Coop nodded. "But you have to make an effort. It will not happen on its own."

"I know that." Penny said with a sigh. "Look, I know things are not perfect right now, trust me, I do, but I need to figure some stuff out on my own. But I need some time for that. You might not like how I handle things, but I am dealing with it."

"Okay." Phoebe said eventually. "I trust you. I know you will make the right choices for you."

"Thanks." Penny said with a slight smile.

"Payton, anything you want to say?"Coop asked as he looked at his youngest daughter.

"I'm just confused." Payton said. "Mom is going on tour and you're going with her. So what is going to happen to me?"

"Well, that is your choice." Phoebe said. "Your father and I already discussed this. We figured that Prue could move back in here from her own apartment and you could live with her. That way, Prue won't have to pay rent for her own place and you could keep going to school here. Or you could decide to come with us. It all depends on what you want, and if Prue agrees."

"I'm good with that." Prue said. "The rent on my place is killing me, plus my apartment is super small."

"In that case, I want to stay." Payton said. "I still have school here and I don't want to move, even though I will miss you."

"Oh, I will miss you too, honey." Phoebe said as she hugged her youngest child. "But I understand. You will have your sisters to look out for you."

Suddenly, Phoebe's cell phone started ringing in her purse. She walked over to her purse and as soon as she touched the phone, she was sucked into a premonition. _She saw the door to her apartment burst open and a twister entering the room, taking the shape of the demonic assassin, Shax. She then saw Shax launching an attack and herself flying across the room, crashing through the open doors of the balcony. The last thing she heard was her daughters screaming._

As the premonition ended, Phoebe stumbled back and dropped her phone, which shattered on the floor. It had been years since she had seen the face of the demon that murdered her sister and the sight had shaken her to her core. She then realized they were all danger, there was no way they could face Shax without the Power of Three, and he could be there any minute.

"Phoebe, what happened, what did you see?" Coop asked concerned.

"We have to go, now." Phoebe said still shaking.

"Go where?" Prue asked.

"To the manor, quickly." Phoebe replied.

Suddenly, the front door burst open just like in her premonition and Shax appeared with an evil grin. In reality, he was even more terrifying then she remembered him. He was the monster that had took Prue from them, something she could never forget.

"We can't fight him. Go!" Phoebe yelled.

Prue quickly grabbed her sisters' hands and disappeared in a heart-shaped flash of light. Phoebe ran toward Coop but noticed Shax launching a blast of wind. She turned and used her power of empathy to channel the power and stop it. However, she was almost overwhelmed by the demon's hatred and anger and barely managed to push it back. Exhausted, she fell to the ground and Shax was blown back by his own attack and cried out in anger. Coop then appeared next to Phoebe and grabbed her hand, teleporting her to safety.

Xxx

At the Halliwell manor, Melinda Halliwell leaned at the kitchen table and sighed. The dinner had been ruined and it felt like an insult to her mother's memory. She couldn't believe what had happened, how much damage a single demon could do to their family. It was the reason she didn't want to have magic, only bad things could come from it. And now with the Book of Shadows in the hands of evil, their family magic could be the end of them all.

Melinda felt her phone buzz in her pocket and saw Ryan had sent her a text asking is she was alright. She quickly sent back that things still weren't settled and that it was safer from him to go home. She knew he would resist, which is why she turned off her phone after sending the text.

Melinda then grabbed the fresh pot of coffee she had made and put in on a trey with some cups. She then walked to the dining room where her father and brothers had taken place at the table.

Suddenly, a pink heart-shaped light appeared and took the shape of her cousins, immediately followed by her aunt Phoebe and uncle Coop. They all looked scared and Phoebe looked exhausted.

"What is going on?" Wyatt asked.

"We have to hurry." Phoebe said weakly. "Shax is coming to kill us all."

xxx


	7. Chapter 7

Legacy 101: Endings and Beginnings, part 7

Xxx

Chris Halliwell sat at the dining room table and glared over to his brother, who was staring ahead with a blank impression on his face. Meanwhile his father sat across from him, looking tired and weary. Chris felt bad for him, all of this must have been hard on his dad, especially considering it was the anniversary of his mother's death.

Even though Chris knew the anger was mostly caused by the Spirit of Rage, he was still upset with his brother. He had lived his life in his shadow and he resented how Wyatt was always in the spotlight. He was seen as the most powerful, while he did all the work. He always came in second place with everything, not just magic. Everyone always liked Wyatt better. He was always second best.

However, despite all of that, Chris still loved his brother and they had never fought like this before. He felt guilty for being the first to use magic to attack. Wyatt always knew how to push his buttons and Darius had brought out his worst frustrations, causing him to say and do things he would have never done otherwise. If their mother saw them like this, she would kick both their asses.

Melinda entered the room from the kitchen with a plate of coffee. At that same moment, a heart-shaped light appeared and took the shape of his cousins, immediately followed by his aunt Phoebe and uncle Coop. They all looked scared and Phoebe looked exhausted.

"What is going on?" Wyatt asked.

"We have to hurry." Phoebe said weakly. "Shax is coming to kill us all."

"Shax? The demon that killed aunt Prue?" Wyatt called out.

"Yes, he was brought back same as the Woogyman." Phoebe said as Coop helped her to a chair. "Whoever this mystery demon is, he knows who out worst enemies were."

"How do we vanquish him?" Chris asked.

"You can't." Leo said as he got up. "Only the Power of three could."

"There has to be a way." Wyatt said. "A potion or something."

"I don't know." Phoebe said as she looked at Wyatt. "The only thing other than the Power of Three that could have vanquished him was…"

Chris noticed a sudden change in Wyatt's face, as if he realized something and felt bad about it. He wondered what his brother knew that he didn't. Suddenly he remembered something that had happened a couple of years ago, when Wyatt suddenly lost some of his powers. He wondered if there was something that his family had kept from him.

"That doesn't matter now." Leo said intervening. "That's in the past."

"What were you going to say?" Chris asked his aunt.

"Like your dad said, it's in the past." Phoebe said evasive.

"Look, we need to do something now." Prue said as she stepped forward. "Shax could be here any minute and he already almost killed us."

"Wait, has anyone heard from aunt Paige and the others?" Payton suddenly asked.

"Oh my god." Phoebe said. "My phone started ringing right before Shax attacked. What if it was Paige or the kids calling for help?"

"We need to check on them." Wyatt said.

"Wait, if we run off now, we risk putting us all in danger. We need a plan first." Chris said. "Shax could be waiting for us."

"We can't just leave them." Wyatt said angrily.

"We can't risk us all getting killed. Think before you act for once." Chris snapped back at him.

"I'm afraid Chris is right." Leo said. "Shax could be waiting for us as we speak, and who knows how many other evils the cloaked demon has summoned already. If we go in unprepared, we might all be killed. We need a plan first."

"I can replicate some of mom's most powerful potions." Melinda said. "They might not vanquish Shax, but they can at least slow him down."

"I'll help you." Prue said.

"Yeah, me too." Payton added.

The three young witches left the dining room and headed for the kitchen. Chris knew Melinda was amazing at making potions, even though she hated magic. Like her cooking skills, she had also inherited that talent from their mother. If anyone could make the potions they needed, it was her.

"I'll go write some spells." Penny said. "Maybe those useless poetry classes will be useful after all."

"Yeah, I'll write some too." Phoebe said, but as she got up, she stumbled back and was caught by Coop.

"You need to rest." Coop said. "You're not the ass-kicking young witch you used to be. Have some faith in your daughters."

"I do, but I can't sit by and do nothing." Phoebe replied.

"Okay, just don't push yourself." Coop said.

Penny helped her mother up and together they went to the living room.

"I still think we need to check on aunt Paige." Wyatt said.

"I guess we don't have a choice." Leo said reluctantly. "Why don't you boys go, but be careful and don't engage Shax. Come back here at the first sign of trouble. Your uncle Coop and I will start placing protective crystals around the house to keep out other evil."

"Okay." Wyatt and Chris said almost in perfect sync.

The two brothers locked eyes and disappeared in two separate columns of millions of blue orbs, leaving Leo and Coop alone in the dining room with worried expressions of their faces.

Xxx

Across the street from Paige and Henry's house, Chris and Wyatt appeared in a column of orbs. They quickly hid behind a couple of trash cans and looked at the house. There were lights burning inside the house, but the door was wide open. It seemed likely that Shax had attacked and Chris wondered if his family was all right. He knew they could take care of themselves, but Shax was one of the most dangerous demons there was. Now that he was back, all their lives were at stake since none of them could face him alone.

"Any sign of aunt Paige and the others?" Wyatt asked.

"No, but Shax could be waiting in there for us." Chris said.

"We can't just wait here, they could be injured in there." Wyatt replied.

"I know, I am trying to think of a plan." Chris said.

"Because your plans always work out so well." Wyatt remarked.

"At least I make plans. You just storm into every situation without thinking, risking both our lives." Chris said. "You're not invincible, you know."

"Trust me, I know." Wyatt said somewhat saddened.

"What was that aunt Phoebe said?" Chris said.

"I don't know what you mean." Wyatt quickly replied. "We don't have time for this."

"You're right." Chris said. "Whatever is in there, we cannot wait any longer. We should head in through the back door. We just need to stick together and be prepared for anything."

"I like plans like that, they're easy to remember." Wyatt said.

The two Whitelighter-Witches ran across the street in silence and made their way to the backyard over a small fence. Once they were at the backdoor, they stopped and waited. They then looked at each other and nodded. It was one of the rare moments where they thought the same thing. It was now or never. They opened the door and went inside. The kitchen was deserted, though they could hear sound coming from the hallway.

When they entered the hallway, they saw the railings of the stairs were shattered and that their uncle Henry was lying on the floor with Paige desperately trying to heal him. At the same time, the twins were sitting on the stairs trying to contain their tears, while Henry Jr.

"Oh god. What happened?" Wyatt asked.

"Wyatt, thank god you're here." Paige called out. "I need your help. My healing isn't enough, I can barely keep him alive. We need to combine our powers."

Wyatt quickly kneeled down next to her and started helping her heal. Chris had never heard that one person healing wasn't enough. One whitelighter should be able to heal any wound, unless the person was dead already. It seemed like something else was at work here, like Shax' powers had an added effect that prevented or weakened healing.

"Where is Shax now?" Chris asked.

"I managed to orb him away." Paige said. "He has been gone for a while."

"Yeah, he attacked aunt Phoebe after he was here." Chris said.

"Are they okay?" Paige asked concerned.

"They're fine, they're at the manor." Chris assured her.

Meanwhile, the healing seemed to work and Henry regained consciousness. He coughed and Wyatt helped him up. At that time, the twins jumped up in relief and hugged their father.

"I thought you were going to die." Laura said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm fine." Henry said. "Don't worry about it."

"Where is Henry Jr.?" Henry asked as he looked around.

"I'm here." Henry Jr. said as he came in from the living room holding a crystal. "I secured the house, no demon is getting in here anymore."

"That's great, but it's saver at the manor." Chris said. "The others are worried, we should get back."

"Chris is right. Let's go." Paige said.

Chris was relieved that everyone was okay, but he knew it was only the start of their problems. Shax was still out there and he was sure that the demon would be coming for them again.

Chris placed a hand on Henry Jr. shoulder while Wyatt joined hands with the twins. Lastly, Paige put her arms around her husband and sighed in relief. Together, the three of them orbed everyone to the manor.

xxx

In a dark cave in the Underworld, the cloaked demon angrily slammed his fist on the stone basin, causing the clear liquid to ripple. The rippling disturbed the vision of the Seer and she raised her head with an annoyed look in her eyes.

"Shax failed to kill even one of them!" The cloaked demon called out in anger. "Even with the dark magic you imbued him with, they were still able to heal a simple mortal. He should have died instantly."

"Shax aimed at the witch, the mortal got in the way." The Seer stated. "He only took half of the blast. A full hit would have killed him instantly, shattered all his bones. And even the darkest magic cannot counter the effects of their healing, as it is triggered by love."

"They will know he is coming for them now." The cloaked demon said. "The element of surprise is gone."

"Shax is powerful indeed, but he relies purely on his brute strength." The Seer said. "Perhaps we should have summoned a demon with a brain instead."

"Then summon another." The cloaked demon ordered.

"I can't, my spell only allows me to summon and strengthen one demon at a time." The Seer replied.

"Then you are useless to me!" the cloaked demon called out as he raised his hand to strike.

"I am all you have. Your powers have not fully returned. It took you years to claw your way out of the wasteland." The Seer said unimpressed. "You need me."

"Order Shax to launch another attack." The cloaked demon said reluctantly. "I don't care if they cast him back to the wasteland, just as long as he takes a couple of them with him."

"As you wish." The Seer said.

The Seer's eyes turned pure white and started to glow and she started to whisper to herself. Meanwhile the cloaked demon resumed his impatient pacing, with his cloaked eyes fixated on the large leather-bound book on the stone table, the Book of Shadows.

Xxx

Lying on the couch in the living room with her feet on the table, Penny Halliwell let out a frustrated scream as she tore up another piece of paper and threw in on the large pile on the floor. Her mother, who was sitting across from her in a chair, looked up from her own notebook.

"It is useless." Penny cried out. "It doesn't matter how many spells we come up with, without the Power of Three we are screwed."

"Just keep trying, honey." Phoebe said. "There has to be away, some kind of power we can call on or something."

"Have we tried asking the Elders?" Penny asked.

"You uncle tried that already. There about as useful as they always are, which is not." Phoebe remarked.

Penny tried to get back to writing spells, she suddenly thought about the things her mother had said to her earlier.

"Do you really trust me?" Penny suddenly asked.

"What?" Phoebe said surprised. "Of course I do."

"Why? I feel like a complete screw-up most of the time." Penny said.

"Honey, you're not a screw-up." Phoebe said. "You are just trying to find your way. When I was your age, I was in New York without my family, living with a really wrong guy, making all the mistakes in the world. It took me years to figure out what I wanted and what I was good at. It will happen to you as well."

"Thanks." Penny said a little relieved.

Meanwhile, her uncle Leo and her father came walking into the room and sat down as well. They were about to ask something, when a flurry of orbs appeared and took shape of Wyatt and Chris, Paige and Henry and their kids. A huge wave of relief went across the room when they realized that everyone was safe. Paige quickly filled them in on what had happened.

"So Shax has only one place left to come." Wyatt said. "And we're still powerless to stop him."

"Maybe not." Leo said.

"What do you mean, dad?" Chris asked.

"I just realized something now that everyone is here." Leo said. "The Power of Three was the most powerful force of good, but now it is gone."

"We know that, thanks." Penny remarked.

"Just hear me out." Leo replied. "The Power of Three is gone in a way, but power like that doesn't just disappear. In another form, it still exists here."

"What are you talking about?" Paige asked.

"Wait, I think I know what you mean." Phoebe suddenly said. "You mean the kids, right?"

"I do." Leo said.

"But dad, we cannot access the Power of Three." Wyatt stated.

"I know, but individually, you, your siblings and cousins are every bit as powerful as your mothers, or at least have the potential to become as powerful as them."

"But it's not a matter of individual power." Chris said. "The Power of Three transcends individual power, that is what makes it as powerful."

"You're right." Leo said. "The Power of Three is the power of three sisters as a collective, their individual power channeled and multiplied into something far more powerful. Three times to be exact. Three times three."

"Three times three." Paige repeated. "Of course."

"You know, I sucked at math. Could someone fill me in?" Penny remarked.

"Three times three is nine." Chris said. "There are nine of us. Which means that when we combine our power, we could rival the Power of Three."

"Are you sure that will work?" Wyatt asked.

"We can't be completely sure, but it is the best chance we've got." Leo said.

"I remember the spell to vanquish Shax. I think I can rewrite it to work with a Power of Nine." Phoebe said. "I have a feeling this will work."

"Alright. Let's do this." Wyatt said confidently.

Everyone split to prepare for the vanquishing. Paige helped Henry upstairs to rest, as he was still drained from the attack while Coop helped her. Meanwhile Leo went to the kitchen to inform the others, while the rest of the cousins went to the dining room. Penny got up and sat down next to her mother to help her with the spell. She wasn't sure this plan would work, but she decided she needed to trust in the power of their family.

xxx

An hour later, everyone was ready to make their final move. The plan was simple, they would remove the protection from the manor, allowing Shax to enter. Paige and Phoebe would then distract Shax with the potions that were prepared, while the nine cousins prepared to cast the vanquishing spell. Meanwhile, the fathers remained out of harm's way, as both Leo and Henry were mortal and defenseless, while Coop lacked any offensive powers.

Wyatt wondered if the plan would work. Shax was a hired gun, not known for his intelligence, but even he should realize that he was walking into a trap, right? And even if they managed to vanquish Shax, it only solved the immediate problem. The Book of Shadows was still in the hands of the mysterious cloaked demon.

"Are you ready?" Paige asked.

Everyone nodded in agreement and Paige raised her hand, telekinetically orbing a crystal to her hand, thus breaking the protective circle around the manor. Everyone had taken cover in various positions, ready to strike, and all that was left to do was wait. However, after several minutes everyone started to get impatient.

"I knew this wouldn't work." Henry Jr. remarked. "Nobody is going to fall for an obvious trap like this."

"Shax doesn't know we have the power to vanquish him. He might be over confident." Prue replied.

"Maybe we should try something else." Wyatt said.

Wyatt stepped out from his cover and walked to the front door, despite everyone's protests. He opened the doors and stepped out on the porch.

"Come on Shax!" Wyatt called out. "Why are you hiding out like a chicken. Come out and face us!"

Suddenly, a whirlwind started heading toward the door. Overconfident indeed, Wyatt thought to himself. He took a step back, but Shax was too fast. He quickly tried to raise a force field, but was hit by a strong whirlwind before he could finish. He was thrown back into the manor and slammed through the table in the lobby. Shax manifested from the whirlwind with an evil grin and prepared to launch an attack. At that moment, Wyatt realized that he himself had been just as overconfident, like Chris had accused him of many times, which now might cost him his life.

xxx


	8. Chapter 8

Legacy 101: Endings and Beginnings, part 8

Xxx

As the Halliwells waited for Shax to appear, Prue felt her hands tremble as she waited behind the wall next to her sister. She had never been scared easily, but Shax sent chills down her spine. He was the demon that had killed her aunt, her namesake. In her mind, he had always been one of the most frightening demons because of this. She remembered having horrible nightmares when her mother first told her how her aunt died. She then felt Penny grab her hand and noticed her looking at her. She quickly smiled and took a deep breath.

"I knew this wouldn't work." Henry Jr. suddenly remarked. "Nobody is going to fall for an obvious trap like this."

"Shax doesn't know we have the power to vanquish him. He might be over confident." Prue replied.

"Maybe we should try something else." Wyatt said.

Suddenly Wyatt stepped out from his cover across the hall and walked to the front door. Everyone tried to call him back, but he ignored them. He opened the doors and stepped out on the porch.

"Come on Shax!" Wyatt called out. "Why are you hiding out like a chicken? Come out and face us!"

Prue could not believe that he was being so reckless. All of their lives were at stake. She angrily stepped forward, until suddenly a whirlwind started heading toward the door. Wyatt quickly tried to raise a force field, but was hit by a strong whirlwind before he could finish. He was thrown back into the manor and slammed through the table in the lobby. Shax manifested from the whirlwind with an evil grin and prepared to launch an attack.

Prue quickly stepped forward and fired a power psionic blast, which manifested as a blast on pink energy from her forehead. Shax was hit with the blast of raw emotional energy and stumbled backward. At the same time, Penny ran forward and levitated into the air as she kicked in the chest. However, the demon proved too big and strong and Penny fell to the ground while he remained standing.

Shax then tried to grab Penny, but Phoebe and Paige stepped out and started throwing explosive potions at the demon while Henry Jr. ran over to Penny and helped her get away. Shax fought through the potions and lashed out at them, but Henry Jr. used his power to dematerialize them into orbs and become untouchable as they got away.

"The potions are not working!" Phoebe called out. "We need another plan."

At that moment, Melinda appeared and flicked her hands, freezing Shax in his place. However, within a second, he was already started to fight through the freezing.

"Start the spell." Paige called out.

Prue got the piece of paper with the spell from her pocket and joined with her sisters as they started chanting the spell. At the same time, the twins and Henry Jr. also started chanting the spell. Finally, Chris helped Wyatt up to his feet and they and Melinda joined the chanting as well. Meanwhile Shax unfroze and tried to attack, but Phoebe and Paige slowed him down with their last potions.

"_Evil winds that blows _

_that which forms below _

_no longer, may you dwell _

_death takes you, with this spell._

_Power of Three, cast by nine_

_We vanquish you _

_from space and time."_

Suddenly, Shax screamed out in pain as strong winds started to blow around him. He started twisting around as the wind increased and his screams echoed through the manor. He then started twisting faster until finally he exploded in a powerful blue shockwave that threw everyone off their feet and shattered the windows and glass of the chandelier.

Prue heard a ringing in her ears as she slowly up and looked around. Everyone was knocked off their feet but were slowly getting up. In the middle of the room was a giant scorch mark that was still smoking. A small pile of ashes was all that remained of Shax. Prue felt a wave of relief wash over her, through she instantly realized it wasn't over yet.

"Is everyone okay?" Paige asked.

"What?" Henry Jr. called out as he rubbed his ears.

At the same time, Prue noticed her father and uncles coming down from the stairs and helping everyone up. After a few moments, the ringing in her ears stopped and Prue was able to hear properly again.

"We did it." Grace said excited. "We vanquished Shax."

"I can't believe it." Laura said relieved.

"Yeah, no thanks to me." Wyatt said reluctantly.

"We know." Chris said with a smile as he hit Wyatt on the back of his head. "You're an idiot."

"I deserved that." Wyatt admitted.

"So now what?" Penny asked.

"It's not over." Leo said. "We have to end this now. We need to go after the cloaked demon and get back the Book of Shadows."

"How?" Prue asked.

"I think we have a way to find him now." Phoebe said as she looked down on the small pile of ashes that remained of Shax. "Payton, I will need your help. Together, our premonition powers are stronger. If we both focus, we might be able to get a location."

"Okay." Payton said.

Prue watched as her mother and youngest sister joined hands and tried to get a premonition from the ashes. She remembered she used to want that power, as it was the power of a Charmed One and very rare, though she changed her mind when her mother told her about the awful things she sometimes had to see. Now she was happy with her own powers. Suddenly, both her mother and Payton gasped as they were drawn into a premonition and Prue knew they had found the Book.

Xxx

In the lair of the Seer, the cloaked demon grabbed the Seer by the throat as he slammed her against the stone wall. As he did, the purple flames in the torches become more intense. The Seer struggled to get free, but her power was nothing compared to his. She tried to slash his face, but he moved his head back to avoid her nails, before slamming her head against the stone.

"You failed me." The cloaked demon said angrily. "Shax has been vanquished. Your magic is worthless."

"We underestimated the power of the Halliwells." The Seer said. "There was no way we could know they could still tap into the Power of Three."

"Isn't it your job to see into the future?" the cloaked demon replied. "How could you miss this?"

"The future is not written in stone." The Seer said as she coughed for air. "You of all people should know that."

"I don't care." The cloaked demon said. "I have no more use for you. I will destroy the book and deal with the Halliwells in my own way."

"I don't think so." The Seer said as her eyes turned pure white. "They are coming for you. And I am not sticking around to face them. Burn in the wasteland."

Suddenly, the Seer evaporated into several trails of black smoke which disappeared into the air. The cloaked demon screamed out in anger and threw a Fire Ball at the stone basin, which shattered into a million pieces and sent the Book of Shadows flying to the ground.

At the same time, a trail of orbs appeared in the spot where the book had landed, which took the shape of the oldest Halliwell cousin, Wyatt. He was followed by the rest of his family until all nine of them as well as the two remaining Charmed Ones stood before the cloaked demon. Wyatt then picked up the Book of Shadows and it was bathed in a golden light as its powers were restored.

"You dropped something." Wyatt said.

"Who are you?" Phoebe asked. "You obviously know everything about us, our worst enemies, and our weaknesses."

"Take a guess." The cloaked demon said.

"How about we just unmask you?" Chris remarked as he held out his hand and telekinetically threw the cloaked demon against the wall.

As the cloaked demon rose to his feet, his cloak fell off, revealing him as a slender young man with short black hair, dark brown eyes and a slight olive skin tone. However, as he stood up, his eyes were covered in flames until they turned pure black. Both Phoebe and Paige gasped in shock as they realized who they were facing.

"Do you understand now?" the demon asked.

"You're the Source." Phoebe said shocked. "But how? We vanquished you."

"You always were a fool, Phoebe." The Source said. "Do you think the Source of All Evil is just a title held by a demon? I am the true essence of evil. All my previous incarnations were just bodies I possessed, the half-faced Source, Cole Turner, your unborn son. I am more than a simple demon. As long as evil exists, I can never be truly vanquished."

"Why now?" Paige asked. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Last time you vanquished me, I was cast into the demonic wasteland and weakened." The Source explained. "It took me years to gather enough power to escape and possess this new body, and even when I was back, my powers still needed to grow before I could make my move. Too bad I had to miss Piper's death. I would have enjoyed that."

"You bastard." Wyatt called out angrily as he stepped forward.

"No." Paige said as she grabbed his arm. "He is too dangerous."

"Looks like my plan failed." The Source said. "I guess when you want things done right, you have to do them yourself. See you soon."

The Source smiled as he was surrounded in intense flames and disappeared from the cavern, leaving the entire Halliwell family standing there in utter shock. None of them had expected to see him ever again, foolishly believing he was vanquished for good. The Source had existed since the dawn of humanity, ever since the first act of evil was committed.

Even though most of his strength had returned, it was not yet the time to face Halliwells head-on, though that time would come very soon. When the time was right, even the Halliwell line would not be enough to stop him. After all, this body he now possessed was more than a simple demon, it was much more than that, as they would learn soon enough.

Xxx

Two days later, Phoebe looked on from the couch with a cup of coffee as Coop and her daughters moved Prue's stuff to her old room. Meanwhile her own suitcases were standing at the door, ready to go on tour to promote her latest book. She would be gone for at least six months, though with everything that had happened, she doubted more than ever if she could really leave. The Source returning was something she never expected, and there was something about his new incarnation that sent chills running down her spine. There was something very wrong and she sensed that very bad things were going to happen.

"Something on your mind?" Coop suddenly asked as he joined her on the couch.

"I cannot do this, Coop." Phoebe said. "Not after everything that happened. My daughters need me. They cannot face the Source alone."

"They won't be alone." Coop said. "They will have each other and their cousins."

"They may still need me." Phoebe said.

"You're not a Charmed One anymore, Phoebe." Coop said. "It is time to let the next generation take over. They are ready. They managed to vanquish Shax."

"Barely." Phoebe reminded him.

"You need to trust them." Coop assured her. "Have faith that they can be just as powerful as you and your sisters."

"In my mind, I know you're right." Phoebe said. "But in my heart.."

"You want to protect your little girls." Coop finished. "I understand, but they are adults now. They need to start living their own lives. They cannot do that with you hovering over them. Besides, you deserve to go on trip book tour."

"I know." Phoebe said reluctantly. "I guess you're right. I should be happy with this opportunity."

Meanwhile, her three daughters came walking out of the room next to them and at down on the couch as well. Phoebe looked at them and smiled, realizing that Coop was right. They had raised three amazing women, three powerful witches, that needed to learn to stand on their own.

"Okay, I guess your dad and I need t get going." Phoebe said. "I am supposed to meet my publisher at the airport in an hour."

"We're going to miss you." Payton said she got up and hugged her mother.

"Yeah, good luck and have fun." Penny added as she also hugged her.

"You know I will always be just a phone call away, right?" Phoebe asked.

"Mom, we know. We got this." Prue said.

"I know you do. I trust you." Phoebe said. "Just one more thing. You need to go back to the Bay Mirror and demand that ass of a Sheldon gives you a chance."

"Don't worry, mom." Prue said as she hugged her. "I was planning on doing just that."

"God. I am going to miss you all so much." Phoebe said as she felt the tears coming. "I love you."

"We love you too, mom." Payton said with teary eyes. "Now you should get going. You don't want to be late."

Phoebe hugged all her daughters one last time while Coop gathered the suitcases. She then took a step back and looked at her beautiful girls and the home she had spent the happiest years of her life in. Now it was time to start a new chapter in her life, and time for her daughters to start a new chapter of their lives as well. Not wanting to break down again, Phoebe picked up her purse and smiled at her daughters one more time before closing the door.

Xxx

Later that day, Prue Halliwell stepped into the building of the Bay Mirror in her most professional dress and headed up the elevator. When reaching the right floor, she got out and stepped right past the receptionist, ignoring her telling she cannot go in without an appointment. She opened the door and stepped into the office of Mr. Sheldon.

"Miss Halliwell." Sheldon said surprised. "I thought I had made myself clear?"

"You have, but I haven't." Prue said determined. "I honestly don't care how you feel about my mother. I have worked hard to graduate top of my class and I deserve a fair chance, no matter what my last name is. Here is my resume. If you do not hire me, I am sure there are dozens of others who would be happy to have me."

Prue got her resume from her purse and threw it on the desk. She then turned around and walked out of his office. It felt like a rush to get that of her chest. It didn't even matter if she got the job anymore. At least she had proven that she was not a push-over.

"Miss Halliwell?" Sheldon called.

Prue turned around and saw the man standing outside his office holding her resume.

"You can start Monday." Sheldon said. "Though it will be on trial basis. One of these so-called family emergencies and you are out of here."

Prue smiled and continued walking until she got in the elevator. As the doors closed, she started screaming in excitement for finally getting her dream job.

Xxx

At the same time, the Mitchell residence was a complete mess, with moving boxes everywhere and everyone running around in a hurry to gather their belongings. The job that Henry accepted started earlier then expected, meaning that he was expected in LA in two days. Two days in which a lot of things still needed to be taken care off. Paige felt so overwhelmed that she barely had time to think about all that had happened the last few days. She was moments away from a breakdown. She was busy packing up the glasses in the kitchen when Henry came walking in.

"Everything is taken care of." Henry said. "It's time."

"Really?" Paige asked. "That was fast. I'm a mess, this place is a mess. Do you want to tell them now? I've got a million things to do."

"Honey, you're rambling." Henry said.

"Right, right." Paige said. "We should tell them."

Paige walked into the living room, which looked like a bomb exploded there, and called her children downstairs. A few moments later, the twins and Henry Jr. were sitting across from their parents on the pillow-less couch.

"Kids, your father and I have been talking." Paige said. "With everything that has happened, we were able to look at what was going on from another perspective and we realized that we have not been completely fair with you concerning our decisions and your decisions."

"What are you talking about?" Laura asked.

"We've seen how much you have grown up." Henry said. "And we realize that we need to stop treating you like little kids and that we need to respect your decisions."

"Wait, are you saying what I think you are saying?" Grace asked.

"I think so." Paige said with a smile. "We have decided that you can go to Paris."

Both the twins jumped up and started screaming and hugging, before hugging their parents and thanking them. Both started rambling about how happy they were, that they would be completely responsible and that Paige and Henry would not regret their decision.

"We know that we can trust you." Henry said. "You made this decision on your own and we accept that this is what you want."

"And talking about accepting what you kids want." Paige said as she turned to her son Henry Jr. "We understand you don't want to move and leave your life here behind. It is not fair of us to drag you away from your life."

"So?" Henry Jr. remarked. "It's not like I have a choice. Like you said, I'm still a minor."

"Would you let me finish?" Paige replied. "We talked about it and I think we have found a way for you to stay here. There is a room free in the manor, after all."

"Are you serious?" Henry Jr. asked.

"Yes, we are." Paige said. "We already discussed it with your uncle. But there will be some serious ground rules. Break those rules and you will be in LA in a single orb."

"Oh my god." Henry Jr. said. "Thank you."

Henry Jr. jumped up and hugged his parents, something he had not done in years. It made Paige realize they had made the right choice, the only choice that made everyone happy. Even though their family would be broken up and she would miss her children terrible, she realized much like her sister did that her children were becoming adults. It was time for them to lead their own lives. Besides, she would only be a short orb away.

xxx


	9. Chapter 9

Legacy 101: Endings and Beginnings, part 9

Xxx

Late in the morning, Chris Halliwell was rudely awakened by the sounds of construction downstairs. He reluctantly dragged himself out of bed and headed downstairs to see what was going on. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw his father and Wyatt working on the front door, trying to fix it. His father had always been good at fixing things ever since posing as a handyman when first meeting his mother. Unlike Chris himself, Wyatt seemed to have inherited the handiness skill from their father.

"Do you have to make that much noise?" Chris asked loudly as his brother sawed a piece of wood.

"What?" Wyatt replied.

"Never mind." Chris said. "Got coffee?"

"In the kitchen!" Wyatt yelled.

Chris walked away and headed toward the kitchen. As he poured himself a cup of coffee, he noticed his phone lying on the counter. He picked it up and saw he had a few missed calls from work. With all the magical stuff going on, he'd almost forget he had a regular job as well. He worked as an orderly in the San Francisco Memorial hospital, mainly working night shifts in case a magical problem came up. Luckily he had the last couple of nights off, so he didn't miss work. They probably just called him to see if he could run a few extra shifts. It wasn't a glamorous job, but he enjoyed being able to help people in another way than magic.

As Chris drank his coffee, the back door of the kitchen opened and Melinda and her boyfriend Ryan came walking in, with Ryan holding a grocery bag.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Chris asked.

"Dad and Wyatt were putting in the front door, told us to go through the back." Melinda replied.

"No, I mean why you are here?" Chris asked.

"Do I need a reason to visit my family?" Melinda asked.

"Of course not, I was just surprised." Chris quickly said.

"Your dad called, asked us to meet him here. Said he had some news or something." Ryan said.

"What kind of news? He didn't mention anything to me." Chris wondered.

"He didn't say." Melinda said. "I brought some goof, thought I'd make lunch."

"You mean breakfast." Chris remarked.

"God, you are so lazy." Melinda replied.

She took the bag of groceries from Ryan and started unpacking it. At the same time, Chris handed Ryan a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. A few moments later, his father and Wyatt came walking into the kitchen.

"Well, the new door is ready." Wyatt said. "I wonder how long it will stay in this time."

"So dad, what is this news you were talking about?" Melinda asked.

"Right. I called you here for a reason." Leo said as he cleared his throat. "I need to talk to all of you. I have been thinking a lot lately and I have made some decisions concerning the future. So, would you please all sit down for a moment?"

"Dad." Melinda asked a little freaked. "What is going on? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing is wrong." Leo said quickly. "At least nothing serious."

"Maybe I should go, this seems private." Ryan said.

"No, Ryan. You are a part of this family." Leo said.

"What is this about?" Wyatt asked.

"You kids know that I love you and that I would do anything for you." Leo said. "I love having you around the manor, but in all honesty, I have not been happy here ever since your mother died. Everything here reminds me how much I miss her every day. When I am alone here, I cannot take the silence, which is why I buried myself in work the last two years."

Chris didn't know what he was hearing. Of course he had realized that his father was still mourning for his mother and that the last years had been difficult on him, but Chris had no idea this was how his dad truly felt. He realized he should have paid more attention to his father. He exchanged looks with Wyatt and noticed that he was probably thinking the same thing. Both of them had been too wrapped up in their own lives to notice. Only Melinda seemed to have noticed, which is why she was over here as much as she was.

"Dad." Melinda said tearfully. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"It's not easy for a father to admit this to his children." Leo said. "My first concern will always be your happiness. But everything that has happened these last couple of days made me realize that I have stood still for the last two years. You're adults, you are living your own lives, and I feel that this is no longer the place where I belong."

"Dad, what are you talking about?" Wyatt called out. "Of course you belong here."

"No, I don't." Leo said. "The manor should belong to you now. To the next generation of Warren witches, as it has always been."

"But where will you go?" Chris asked.

"Magic School." Leo said. "I spend most of my time there already and there are plenty of living quarters there. At least at the school, I still feel like I belong and can make a difference. There I am not constantly reminded of the life I could have had with your mother."

"Are you sure about this?" Melinda asked.

"Yes, I have thought about it for a long time." Leo said. "And the last few days have helped me made my decision. Like you kids and your aunts, I have to move on with my live as well."

Chris understood his father's decision. He was sad to see his father go, the manor would not be the same without him, but he realized that this was something he needed to do. He could see why everything reminded him about his mother. Chris still missed her every day as well, so he could only imagine how heart-breaking it must be for his father.

"I understand, dad." Chris said.

"Yeah, me too, I guess." Wyatt agreed reluctantly.

"If you think this is best for you, we support you." Melinda added.

"Thank you." Leo said emotionally. "Just remember that I will always be there for you. A doorway to Magic School is never far away."

"Of course." Chris said.

"So I guess the manor will be quite empty with just Chris and me." Wyatt said.

"Not exactly." Leo replied. "I had a talk with your aunt Paige yesterday. Because she and your uncle Henry are moving to LA, and the twins are going to Paris, she asked if Junior could live in the manor."

"What?" Wyatt asked confused.

"What did you say?" Chris asked.

"The same thing I just told you, that the manor belongs to the next generation of Warren witches." Leo said. "Of course he is welcome here."

"Are you that this is a good idea?" Wyatt asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Leo asked. "You always get along with each other and he is mature and responsible enough to take care of himself. Besides, Paige will be keeping an eye on him and when things get out of control, he will still have to move to LA. He won't be your responsibility."

"Okay, I guess it's not a problem." Wyatt said.

"Yeah, just as long as we don't have to babysit." Chris remarked.

"You'll be fine." Leo said. "With me and your aunts and uncles all gone, it will be up to all of you and your cousins to take care of each other like a family. Especially now that the Source has returned. There will be quite a few challenges heading your way, and only by working together as a family will be able to beat them."

Chris wondered if they would truly be able to defeat the Source of All Evil with the family scattered across the world. He had always known that the responsibilities of magic would fall on them one day, but it seemed like it was coming at them sooner than anyone ever expected. However, at the same time, he trusted in the strength of his family, and knew that they could overcome any challenge that was headed their way. He just needed to be confident in the power of the Warren line.

Xxx

The End

Xxx

This was the first official chapter of my Legacy series. The story will be continued. Please review!


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Charmed, Family, Fantasy